Still Healing
by JetBlackOblivion
Summary: Maka has a huge secret - one she's never told anyone. But after one trip with her friends, she accidentally gets herself into a situation where she has no choice but to tell them. Thankfully, she was only with the girls when this happened, but it seems Soul knows something's up... Soul x Maka :) DISCLAIMER: Yeah, I wish I owned Soul Eater. But I don't. Only the plot is mine :]
1. Chapter 1

Still Healing – Chapter 1

**So anyway, this is my first fanfiction! YAY! I was that creep who surfed around on the fanfic net for MONTHS before finally making an account, but now I've decided to try my hand at writing them myself. First chapter! This _will_ be a romance fanfic, but there's not much lovey-dovey in the beginning. Enjoy! PLEASE rate and review!**

It all started at the beach.

We were having the best time – Kid, Liz, and Patty had suggested we head out to a beach over summer vacation, so we rented a small house where all the girls shared a room and the guys had a separate room. It even had a central area with a kitchen and a television, plus some couches and chairs. The first day of our vacation we hit the nearby town and went shopping, and the second day we took a really long hike in some nearby forest.

It was the third day that the trouble began.

Ironically, even though we were on a beach, we hadn't actually been swimming until that third day. So we were all getting ready to soak up the sun and I was having a fight with Liz, Patty, and Tsubaki.

"Maka, come on, you have to wear it!" Liz whined, looking devastated at my less-than-excited reaction.

"No. No way. No way am I _ever_ wearing that!" I ground out through my teeth.

The 'that' in question would be a swimsuit. Not just a swimsuit, but a skimpy, strappy _bikini_. While it was admittedly pretty as it was in my favorite shade of green that would perfectly accent my eyes, it covered a lot less skin than I wanted it to. Yeah, no way was I wearing that.

"But Makaaaaa…" Tsubaki pleaded, "We found it the day we were shopping and it was just perfect for you…"

Patty and Liz both nodded quickly. "Come on, you know it would look so great on you!" Liz said, smiling at me.

I abruptly turned serious. "Look, I'm sorry girls," I began, "But I really will not wear that. I prefer to have my stomach covered." Actually, I _had_ to have my stomach covered, but they didn't know that. "Don't worry guys, I have a one-piece that I brought."

"Yeah, but one-pieces are so-"

"Okay, Maka. Sorry for trying to force you," Tsubaki said, cutting off Liz's remark. I sent a smile towards the beautiful black-haired girl, thankful she sensed that I wasn't going to move on this position. Ever.

We changed into our swimsuits (I had a one-piece that was a pretty ocean-blue color with ruffles all over it). Liz was in a red bikini, while Patty was in a bikini with a swim skirt with - what else - a giraffe pattern. And Tsubaki was in a white bikini with a yellow star on the left breast.

I felt a little out of place.

Luckily for me, we were all wearing cover-ups, so I could hide my embarrassingly modest swimsuit under a white sundress. Okay, it wasn't like I didn't _want_ to wear that bikini, because yes, I would have looked killer in it, but I just couldn't. Nobody had ever seen it, and I wanted to keep it that way.

Outside of our room Kid, Soul, and Black*Star were waiting in their swim trunks and tee shirts.

"Geez, took ya long enough," Soul said, looking disinterested. "Do you know how long we were waiting? Waiting is totally uncool, by the way."

I gave him a look. As usual, he was completely laid back about everything. He was wearing a shirt with a soul graphic on it (go figure) and black and red swim trunks. His white hair was held in place by his usual 'soul' headband.

"Yeah, well, we took forever because we were trying to get Maka to wear this-"

"Anyway, we're ready now, so let's go!" I nearly shouted. All the guys gave me a weird look and Patty glared at me for cutting her off.

"Yeah, let's go," Kid said. He walked outside and we all followed him.

"YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Black*Star yelled at the top of his lungs as he ran towards the beach as soon as it was in sight. Without even bothering to stop, he flung off his shoes, discarded his shirt, and jumped into the blue waves.

"He's ridiculous," Tsubaki shook her head fondly. She set down the bag she had been carrying and took off her cover-up, shouting at Black*Star as she did. "Black*Star! Wait for your friends!"

Patty and Liz also took off their cover-ups and jumped into the waves. Kid took off his shirt, leaving him in perfectly symmetrical skull-patterned trunks, and proceeded to arrange the towels on the warm sand. Symmetrically.

Soul sat down on one of Kid's towels and removed his shoes. Then he took off his shirt.

Okay, I'm not gonna lie. Soul had a great body. He could be a freakin' model if he wanted to. Well, I wasn't drooling, but I'm pretty sure I was blushing red as a tomato.

And then, of course, Soul just had to turn and look at me.

I blushed harder and turned towards another towel and sat down. Reaching inside my bag, I pulled out a book and cracked it open to my bookmark.

"Seriously? You just gonna read while you're at the beach?" Soul stood up and walked over next to me.

I glared at him over my book. "Well, some of us don't really like swimming, Soul. Why don't you go join those goofballs?"

Soul sent me a shark-toothed grin then ran over to the water and tackled Black*Star into the waves. I shook my head at the two of them and continued reading.

Some minutes later, Tsubaki and Liz came up onto the beach.

"Maka! We're about to pass a beach ball around in the water! Wanna come?" they asked as they wrung out their hair.

"Alright, sure. I'll be right there." I bookmarked my page then took off my sundress, trying not to be self-conscious.

"A one-piece?" Soul asked incredulously from right behind me.

"Agh!" I jumped in surprise, then turned around angrily. Shoving him out of my way, I stalked off into the water. Liz raised her eyebrow but said nothing, and Kid said my bathing suit was perfectly symmetrical. Soul tossed a beach ball to us, and we passed it around for a while. It caught Black*Star unaware and hit him in the side of the face, which caused Soul to double over with laughter.

"ALRIGHT! WHO THREW THIS AT THEIR GOD?!" He yelled, then his eyes alighted on Soul. "SOUL-" He jumped for the crimson-eyed boy as we all backed up a little from their tussle. We all laughed as they messed around until Black*Star sent Soul staggering backwards. Right into me.

I let out a little yelp as I fell backwards into the water. But of course, my embarrassment couldn't end there. The back of my swim suit got snagged on a rock. No, it didn't fall off. It _ripped_. Right down the back, all the way to my butt. My freakin butt.

I sat in the water like an idiot for a second while Soul turned around and offered me his hand. I just mutely shook my head as my face flamed up.

"What? Are you okay, Maka?" he asked, his brow furrowed in concern when I didn't grab his proffered hand.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said, my voice unnaturally high. "Umm… Tsubaki? Could you come here?"

Tsubaki splashed over to me. "What's up, Maka? Are you okay?" She asked, her voice filled with concern. I smiled, tight-lipped, and motioned for her to bend down by me. She knelt down and I whispered in her ear.

"Patty, go get a towel from the beach," Tsubaki called. "Don't worry Maka, there was a bathroom just up the beach. You can change there."

Patty ran up to the sand and returned with a towel, causing Kid to have an OCD attack because she messed up his 'symmetry'. Tsubaki wrapped it around my shoulders and I stood up, careful to keep it tightly pulled around me.

"Maka's just had a clothing emergency, she's going to go change now," Tsubaki said to the three confused-looking boys as I began to trudge up the beach. Patty and Liz came with me and Tsubaki followed behind. I turned to go towards my bag and my sundress, but suddenly Tsubaki stood in front of me, a very un-Tsubaki-like smile on her face. She looked almost… devious.

"Don't worry about your stuff, Maka! Hurry up to the bathroom. I'll bring your bag."

I gave her a curious look but acquiesced, missing the huge smile on Liz's face.

I went into a bathroom stall and took off my swimsuit, hanging it over the door. I heard the girls walk in and called out to let them know where I was. Liz began giggling, which should have tipped me off right there, but I ignored her.

"Tsubaki, can you hand me my sundress?" I called over Liz's giggling, which had turned into full-blown laughter. What was so funny out there?

Then, before I knew it, the swimsuit I had left hanging over the door was gone and in its place was that little green bikini from hell.

"TSUBAKI!" I yelled angrily. "What is this doing here?! I asked for my SUNDRESS!"

"Please, Maka, just try it on!" She pleaded from outside the door.

"Yeah Maka, It'd look so great on you!" Patty added.

"Guys, I really… just… can't wear that. Please." I said, all of the fight suddenly gone from my voice.

"Okay, we'll make you a deal," Liz piped up. "You just _show_ us how it looks on you, and we'll give you your sundress as soon as you come out. Promise."

_They're my friends,_ I told myself. _It's okay. You can trust them. Besides, you don't have to tell them about that… Just lie again._

I slowly grabbed the swimsuit, smiling a bit as I heard their victory whoops from the other side of the door. I dresses as slow as possible, until finally I couldn't put it off any longer.

"Alright, I'm coming out," I called, "But you'd better have that sundress right there."

"We do!" Tsubaki answered cheerfully.

I took a deep breath and stepped out of the bathroom stall, prepared for anything.

Tsubaki's hands flew to her mouth, hey eyes opening wider than I thought possible. Liz just stared at me. Patty stopped coloring the giraffe she had drawn on the wall, took one look at me, and said, "See? It looks good!" before turning back to her vandalism.

"Maka… What happened? How did-" Tsubaki sounded choked up.

"Oh, it's nothing," I lied breezily. "An accident a few years ago, that's all. A nasty fall onto sharp rocks." _No matter how many times you say the lie, it's still not true_, I thought sadly. "But now you can see why I have my stomach covered, right?"

Tsubaki nodded mutely, tearing her eyes away from my stomach to meet my eyes. "Umm… Your sundress is hanging there."

She pointed to a hook outside the bathroom stall and I turned around unthinkingly to grab it.

"Maka!" Liz gasped.

_Shit. Shit. Shit!_ I thought. That was one thing I _hadn't_ planned on showing them.

**Ha ha! Take a cliffhanger on my first chapter! Anyway, Chapter 2 should be out really soon, so stay tuned! Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

Still Healing - Chapter 2

**See, I said I'd upload Chapter 2 soon! Same day, wow... Anyway, hope you enjoy! This one has the beginnings of ... could it be? LOVE?! PLEASE R&R! Thanks!**

**EDIT: OMG I just checked on the chapter I posted a few HOURS ago and two people reviewed. I love you two forever. You totally made my day and I am already inspired to write more! You guys are the BEST!**

I turned around, knowing the look I'd see on their faces. Shock. Horror. An unmistakable question.

"Maka…" Liz murmured, for once lost for words.

I plastered that fake smile on my face, the one that I hated more than anything in the world. The one that hid lies and deceit and an overwhelming amount of hurt. "It's okay, guys. Really. It's ancient history."

"Maka!" Tsubaki nearly shouted. I jumped back a little in surprise; she was normally so quiet and calm.

"This is not 'okay'. What is this? What have you not told us? Aren't we your _friends_?" Her eyes began to fill with tears and she pressed her fingers to her lips.

I tugged the white sundress over my head then walked over to her and gave her a hug. "It's okay, Tsubaki. I'm sorry. I didn't want you to see that."

She buried her head in my shoulder as her shoulders shook with tears.

"What the HELL?!" Liz said behind me. I whirled around in surprise, keeping an arm around Tsubaki. Liz was standing with her head down towards the ground, her fists clenched and shaking with rage. "Maka, who did that? Don't you dare lie to me."

"No one… did… it….." I said, my voice getting smaller as I spoke. "Like I said, just an accident…" I knew my lie was just about the flimsiest one ever told.

"Bull." Liz spat. "Maka, you're our friend. And I know sure as hell no one does that to one of _my_ friends without dying." Patty finally realized something was going on and looked up. "What's going on?" she said in a quiet voice, sensing the tension crackling through the air.

My eyes widened when I realized Patty didn't understand what… _they_… were.

"Someone hurt Maka." Liz ground out. I flinched like I'd been slapped.

"Then why are they still alive?" Patty asked simply.

"No. No. Just, no. We are not going there. Listen guys, seriously, it happened forever ago and… he's… already dead. So it's not a big deal, really." I didn't want to let them see me broken and shattered. Like I was when I was alone. "I don't really want to talk about it, okay?" Suddenly a thought crossed my mind. "Oh, god…" I muttered.

"What? What is it, Maka?" Tsubaki said, instantly concerned.

"You can't tell the guys!" I said loudly. "Please, don't tell them! I don't want them to know!"

"Maka, it's nothing to be ashamed about…" Liz began, but I cut her off.

"Nonetheless, it's kinda personal. I'd rather it stayed with us. If it weren't for the swimsuit from hell, you wouldn't even know!" I smiled wryly.

They all smiled tentatively back.

"Deal?" I said, using Liz's words from before.

They nodded hesitantly. I grabbed my torn swimsuit and threw it in the trash as we walked out.

We stepped outside and I walked back to the towels and sat down, pulling out my book. The girls all looked at each other for a moment then continued on towards the water, casting me a few concerned glances. They joined the boys in the water and everything proceeded as normal, except Soul kept sending me worried looks. Eventually they came back up to the sand to build sand castles and sunbathe. Kid began building a sand palace with Liz and Patty, obsessively checking their work to make sure the finished project was perfectly symmetrical.

I decided I would head back to our rental house, and maybe start making a surprise dinner for the group. I stood up and packed up my bag then turned to my friends. "Hey guys, I'm going to head back to the house," I began, when Soul stood up and tugged his shirt on.

"I'll come with you," he said, his crimson eyes looking straight at me.

"W-what? Why?" I stammered.

"Because it's not cool to let a girl walk home by herself," Soul said as if it was the most normal thing ever. I swallowed and nodded, not trusting my voice. I was a little emotional after all that had happened today.

We walked back to the house in the most awkward silence imaginable. soul was perfectly content to stick his hands in his pockets and hum a little tune, not paying attention to anything. I was grasping my bag tightly and kept shooting him glances. We finally arrived to our little rental home and I walked inside first.

"Maka." Soul suddenly said.

"Yeah?" I turned around to find him right behind me. I took an involuntary step back and bumped into the wall. Soul took a step forward and put his hand on the wall right by my head, pinning me under his intense glare.

"U-um…" I squeaked, staring up into his blood-red eyes.

"What happened?" he asked seriously.

"What do you mean?" I asked shakily, trying to ignore the way my breath hitched. _If you just lean up a tiny bit, you could kiss him_… No, I thought, don't go there! Because then I might be tempted...

"So today, you go to the bathroom to change and the other girls come out looking white as a ghost with this heavy silence hanging over you." It was a statement.

"There was a spider in the bathroom," I answered, lying again. When would I ever stop? One day, I wouldn't even be able to tell where the truth ended and the lies began…

"Liar." He smiled, devoid of humor, and I saw his pointed teeth flash.

I pulled in an unsteady breath, then let it out slowly. "Nothing happened, Soul."

"Liar," he said again, smiling wider. "So you go to change… and what happened?"

I smiled in return. "The biggest freakin spider you've ever seen, Soul."

Abruptly the light vanished from his eyes. He leaned even closer. "Why won't you let me in, Maka?"

I stiffened. Because once I had let someone else in, and what they had done made me shatter. Because what they had done kept causing other people pain, never mind the pain it caused me.

"Maka?" Soul asked, his eyes suddenly filling with concern. He must have seen me die behind my eyes.

"Soul… I - I - I can't!" I suddenly cried, feeling my eyes fill with tears. I ducked under his arm and ran into the girl's bedroom, locking the door behind me.

I heard Soul rattle the doorknob. "Maka? Maka, please come out! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I just wanted you to let me in…" His voice trailed off.

"Soul, I can't. I just can't," I sniffled. I was sitting with my back against the wall near the door. Unbeknownst to me, Soul was sitting in the exact same position on the other side of the wall.

"Maka, you've built these walls around yourself. I've seen it, time and time again. Even when you're with Tsubaki, your best friend, you're never really _open_. You won't let anyone in, you never be yourself. I've been friends with you for the better part of our lives and I still don't know the real you!"

I sat there, hunched over with my arms wrapped around my knees. Knowing everything he said was true in my world of lies. I had thought I had built those walls so damn well that they blended in with the scenery, but it turns out Soul had seen them. He had seen them all along. And yet, here he was. Still calling himself my _friend_. Did he… care?

"It's okay to let people who care about you in, Maka."

People who care about you.

Care about you.

Care.

And just like that, I'm back in that place, filled with the stench of hurt and loss and dying happiness

"_It's because I care about you, Maka." His voice… that voice from my darkest nightmares, from my blackest fears._

"_No!" I screamed back. "This isn't caring. That's not what it is to care for someone else!"_

"_Obviously you don't know what 'caring' means," he growled. _

_And I'm screaming, screaming, blood, screaming, pain hurt blood pain blood hurt blood blood blood._

I thought those memories were buried.

**Maka is hiding something... And what did the girls see? Oh, you poor audience, who knows not the insides of my head...**


	3. Chapter 3

Still Healing - Chapter 3

**La la la ~ Drama drama chapter! Enjoy! Honestly, I'm riding some sort of happy-high from my two reviews so I wrote another chapter in the same day. Please review! They are my sustenance :)**

I came out of the room, just so you know. Soul started to say something, but I said I didn't want to talk about it, and he thankfully dropped the subject. We started making dinner for the gang, an incredibly tense silence between us the entire time. In fact, we hardly spoke until the rest of our friends arrived home and we all ate together, and after that, it was like nothing had ever happened.

~ Back at School ~

Of course, things got a tad awkward when Soul and I returned to school and our house. That we shared. Just the two of us.

But Soul, being the 'cool' guy that he was, acted like nothing was up. In fact, nothing was different with him.

But now I knew that he could see through that my walls and tear down my lies. I felt exposed and vulnerable on the inside, and I absolutely _hated_ feeling like that.

Being around him was bringing all of those painful old memories to the surface. In a way, it also made me rely on him even more; I was afraid of being alone, so I'd stay up late with him watching all of his weird cop shows just so I wasn't by myself.

And of course, that was the one thing he _didn't_ notice. He still kept running to the store by himself, of playing basketball with Black*Star, and I was alone with the memories. Thankfully he was always home at night so I never went to sleep alone. Even though we were in different rooms, I knew he was there.

Except for one night. He said he, Black*Star, and Kid were marathoning one of their favorite TV shows so he would be out late. It was a school night too, so I couldn't wait up for him, not to mention that would make it super obvious I was afraid to go to sleep alone.

I did my homework and ate a microwave dinner, then sat in bed and read my book until the sky outside was full of stars.

"Alright, suck it up!" I told myself forcefully. I turned out the lights and snuggled deep underneath my covers, and ever so gently closed my eyes.

_A flash of silver, and then that burning line stretching across her stomach. That laughter. That smile that was somehow much more threatening than Soul's, even though he had pointed teeth like a shark's._

_ She knew she couldn't do anything. She tried that, and that's how she got them on her back. Those had hurt the most._

_ She screamed. That was the only thing she could do. She couldn't stop it, she couldn't fight it she could only scream. Scream every time it touched her, he touched her, scream every time he spoke a word. She screamed because she couldn't stop and because she never should have started._

And suddenly she was wrapped in strong, warm arms. Not ones that caused her pain, but ones that held her tight and had no plans of ever letting go.

"Maka, wake up sweetheart, it was just a dream! Just a dream! Wake up, Maka!"

Soul.

Soul. Oh, Soul!

"Soul!" I cried out, reaching out to put my arms around him. He pulled me into his arms, rubbing my back and whispering words of comfort in my ear. I clung to Soul like the world was ending, but mine already had. I continued to blubber out his name and hold him, trying to burn those images out of my head because Soul's touch felt like fire.

I calmed down after a while and moved next to Soul on my bed, but he kept rubbing my back in small circles as sobs still wracked my body.

"Maka, you were screaming when I walked in the door. What happened?" his crimson eyes were full of concern and gloriously perfect.

"Just a dream. Just a dream," I repeated his words from earlier, but I could still feel the lines of fire that weren't from Soul.

Just then, Soul's back rubbing lifted the hem of my shirt just a little, just enough for him to feel the ridge there.

"Shit!" I blurted out as I bounded off the bed.

Soul stood up, looking dark and dangerous in the dim light. "Maka, what the hell was that?"

"Nothing!" I said quickly. His eyes narrowed. _Damn, I forgot he can tell when I lie_, I thought.

"Maka, take off your shirt." In any other situation that would have been hilarious.

"What? No!" I said, trying to appeal to his sense of decency.

He glared at me and crossed his arms. What an indecent man.

I looked at the ground as I slowly raised the hem of my shirt. I was wearing a sports bra, you freaks. Don't get excited.

Soul's eyes widened, then narrowed almost into slits. "Maka," His voice brooked no argument. "What happened? Tell me the _truth_."

"Accident. Fell on rocks when I was little." That lie was second nature to me.

"Maka, turn around," Soul nearly growled, his voice dangerously soft. I shuddered but turned around, expecting him to say _something_. All I felt was his finger trace the five tally marks - four in a row and one slicing through them - that took up almost half of my back. I jumped a little, then hugged my arms around my waist. I knew what he had seen. My stomach was a criss-cross of white and pink scars that dipped slightly below my waistband and reached nearly to the bottom of my bra. The ones on the front could be passed of as the result of an accident, but the knotted scars on my back were obviously the result of a human hand. If he could be considered human.

Suddenly I felt my shirt being tugged back over my head as Soul helped me get my arms through the right openings. I hadn't turned around yet. I thought I knew what he was thinking - now he had to deal with my secret, knowing that I had suffered something unthinkable. I tonly weighed on people's minds. It was only a burden on others.

Then his arms wrapped around me from the back as he rested his chin on the top of my head. I turned around and melted into his arms, feeling tears wet the front of his shirt as he held me tight.

"You'll tell me one day, right?" He murmured into my hair.

"Soul…" I choked out and pressed my face harder into his chest, feeling his arms tighten in response. I turned my face up towards his, meeting his intense gaze. "Soul, I… I'm afraid to go to sleep alone!" I started to cry harder into his chest again.

"Is that why you had the nightmare?" He asked gently.

I nodded into his shirt.

"Okay. Okay," he said as if giving himself a pep talk.

"Okay, what?" I asked, my sobs dying down.

"Okay, I won't leave you alone again." He smiled at me.

I gave him another hard hug then went back and sat on the edge of my bed, drawing in a huge breath. I wanted to say he didn't have to do that, that he didn't have to go to all the trouble, but I desperately wanted him to. I let out a huge yawn as I adjusted my covers.

Soul walked over to me and picked me up bridal-style, causing me to blush bright red, then laid me down in my bed and pulled the covers up to my chin.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to stay here until you fall asleep." He came and sat near the foot of my bed and shot me another sharp smile.

"You're just going to watch me sleep?" I asked incredulously.

"It's not as creepy as it sounds, I promise!" he smiled again and then made a 'shooing' gesture with his hands.

And that night, I didn't even dream.

**Aww, isn't that sweet? Soul is damn sexy :) Oh, and keeping a T rating, I promise Maka didn't get raped. Sure, somethin' screwed up happened, but it wasn't that. More revealed soon!**


	4. Chapter 4

Still Healing - Chapter 4

**I'm back! Actually, I mean to finish/post this chapter yesterday, but my favorite TV show was on and I'm a horrible procrastinator, so... I just wanted to say that some people have left me reviews and that completely made my day! I've been feeling kinda down lately so getting those reviews totally cheered me up and made every word I typed worth it! LOVE YOU GUYS!**

When I woke up in the morning, Soul was gone. Sunlight was gently filtering through my curtains - wait, what? The sun was never up when I woke up for school! I turned to look at my clock.

10:17.

"Crap!" I yelled, throwing my blankets on the floor in my haste to get moving. I was _never_ late for school!

And suddenly I became aware of something else out of place - the smell of pancakes.

I walked curiously into the kitchen, following my nose. There stood Soul, wearing an apron and flipping pancakes in a frying pan. He turned around when he heard me approach.

"Oh, Maka! You're up!" He smiled brightly at me.

"Uh, yeah…" I muttered, scratching the back of my head. "Hey Soul?"

"Mm?" He said, his back to me as he focused on his pancakes.

"Do you know what time it is?"

He checked his watch. "It's 10:21. Why?"

"Well, why aren't you at school? More importantly, why aren't _I_ at school?"

He smiled at me again. "You had a rough night, Maka. I thought maybe you'd want to take a day off to relax, so I unplugged you alarm clock."

"You- You WHAT?" I screamed, watching his face suddenly become puzzled and extremely concerned.

"Maka, what's wrong?" he asked, setting the pan down and put his hands on my shoulders.

"Are you aware that I _never_ miss school? For _any_ reason?" I seethed through my teeth.

His face immediately lightened and he let out a chuckle. "Oh, that's it?" he asked, turning back to his pancakes. I smacked the back of his head. He slid the cooked pancakes onto plate then walked towards me, stopping just a few inches shy. I had to look up to meet his intense gaze.

"Maka, you didn't tell me. You stayed up with me all those nights because you needed to know you weren't alone, that I was just a few feet away from you, and yet you let me leave. You let me leave you when you knew you were going to have that nightmare. You know I can usually see through you Maka, and yet I couldn't see that one simple thing that was the most obvious. I can't forgive myself for letting you feel that pain."

He suddenly turned away from me and put his hands on the counter, his head hanging. "I kept seeing it, Maka. You screaming-" I flinched back from his words. "-because you were feeling something I can't even imagine. I can't let you feel that ever again."

I stepped up to him and wrapped my arms around his waist, turning him towards me.  
>"Soul," I began, "It's not your fault, and you shouldn't feel indebted to me. That's part of the reason I never told anyone - I hate pity. I'm strong. I can take care of myself."<p>

"No, Maka," he said, startling me. "You had those nightmares again. I know you haven't had them since we started living together. Yes, you _are_ strong. But even the strong have people support them. Let me support you. Let me keep those nightmares away."

I hugged him tighter for a moment then stepped away. "You already do, Soul."

We ate our pancakes and talked about meaningless things. Eventually Soul suggested we go do something fun on my first day playing hooky, so we went to the movie theatre and saw a good action film. After that, Soul and I grabbed an ice cream cone. It was the most fun I'd had in a long time, probably because I wasn't constantly lying. I was honestly happy when I was with Soul. I knew that _he_ knew I was broken and he still accepted me.

That night, we ate dinner together and watched an old movie on TV before heading to our respective rooms. Soul gave me another hug before I got in bed, and I was pretty sure my nightmares would stay away tonight.

_Red. That was the color of her pain and the color of her back. Her stomach. God, she was broken. She had been happy and it all started to go wrong, and now she was shattered into a million pieces._

_It didn't seem possible that she could break any more, but those lines of fire kept slicing her into smaller and smaller shards until there was none of her left._

I heard my door bang open as I sat up, breathing heavily. My throat was dry from screaming. It was Soul, of course. He was carrying a pillow this time, but he dropped it on the floor as he nearly jumped onto my bed and grabbed me in a fierce hug. I clung to him as tears started to leak from my eyes again. I cursed myself. _Why am I so weak?_

He gently released me as he sat back and peered at my face.

"Again?" he asked hesitantly.

I nodded. "I- I'm sorry, I thought I was okay, but-"

"Maka, it's okay. Besides, it's not even your fault." He climbed off of my bed and retrieved his pillow, then crawled up beside me and put his pillow next to mine.

"What are you doing?" I eyed him suspiciously, wiping the tears off my cheeks.

"Duh, I'm going to sleep with you. Man, that sounds way more screwed up than I intended."

I let out a shaky laugh then laid back down. Once again, I wanted desperately to tell him I was okay, that he didn't need to do that. But also once again, I desperately wanted him to stay.

So I snuggled down in my covers and let his calm breathing lull me to sleep.

xXoXx

I woke up the next morning in heaven. Not that I'd ever tell Soul that, of course. Those were thoughts that were _mine_. When I first opened my eyes, Soul's arms were wrapped around me and I was snuggled into his chest. It was Saturday, so I didn't have to go to school. I did the only sensible thing a girl could do in that situation - I breathed in his intoxicating scent and went right back to sleep in the safest place in the world.

Eventually we both got up, though. Soul sat up when he woke up which in turn woke me up, and we yawned and stretched together. He scooted back against the headboard, but snaked his arm around my waist and held me there when I started to get up.

"What are you-" I protested (albeit not very strongly).

"Maka, I'd really like to know the story."

I knew exactly what he was talking about.

"Okay. Okay, I'll tell you. Because I trust you, Soul." He briefly tightened his arm around my waist then waited for me to start my very own horror story.

"Soul, I'm 22, and you're 23. In the six years we've been together, I've never dated." He seemed to twitch at that. "Before you and I met, I had a boyfriend. He and I only dated a few months before he began to… change.

"It started with my friends. Suddenly, any guys I talked to wouldn't even look at me. They wouldn't even tell me why. Then even the girls I talked to avoided me like the plague. He was the only one who talked to me, but then I found out he was threatening the people I talked to. He said he'd stop, but then he started controlling where I went and what I did. I felt like I was being stalked, but he claimed it was because he _cared_ about me.

"So one day I finally had enough, and I wanted to end it. I didn't love him. I don't know if I ever did. I went over to his house, and I told him, and I said I never wanted to see him again. And he went… sort of crazy, I don't slapped me and kept asking me why he would leave someone who cared about me. I tried to run, Soul, but he grabbed me. He claimed he'd leave marks on me so deep I'd never want to date someone else because I'd never forget how much he cared about me."

I could hear Soul's heavy breathing in my ear and feel his fist clenching and unclenching. I shuddered close to his side and he gave me a quick squeeze around the waist.

And then, Soul… then I really screwed up." I turned and pressed my face into his side. "I said, 'don't you dare touch me'." I waited for him to work it out.

"'Don't you dare touch me'..." he mused quietly. "Five words… five words. Five marks."

"They were the deepest and they took the longest to heal. Eventually I stopped screaming and he stopped cutting, and then he whispered to me he was going to clean up the room, and that's when I ran. I couldn't go home, what with being covered in cuts and dripping blood. I went into the street and crossed into a park where I passed out, woke up in a hospital, and left that city. I moved to Death City and spent the summer healing before I went to school. But I was so afraid, so terrified that he would find me. One day, I'd wake up and he would be there. I was afraid of other people, but then Tsubaki introduced me to Black*Star and you, and Kid, Liz, and Patty as well two years after I moved here. I _did_ let you in, Soul. I let you all into the life I closed off from the world. But my mind, that place was still bleeding and it never really stopped."

He was silent for a long while, but he didn't take his arm from around my waist. I was surprised that I wasn't crying but it seemed like I was all cried out.

"Did you have nightmares after?" he asked suddenly.

"Um, yeah…" I muttered, afraid to see his face.

"You mean to tell me that for _two years_ you had nightmares every night? You had them every night until we moved in together?"

I nodded.

"Geez, Maka! You could have told me. I mean, I didn't know you that well, but I would have stayed with you."

"Really? Even then?"

"Yep! And I will now."

**I've kinda resigned myself to being alone forever - I've watched so many animes with hot guy characters (I am female) that I have, like, super high standards now, like 1. super hot 2. some sort of power like Dragon Slayer Magic or being a death scythe and 3. perfect in every way. Darn anime.**


	5. Chapter 5

Still Healing - Chapter 5

**On with the chapter! I can't believe I forgot this, but DISCLAIMER: I do not own Soul Eater, just my own plotline and cookies. Anyway, in this chapter, I made Tsubaki more of a stronger character than she was in the anime... I love her so much! **

Soul and I sat on my bed for a while and played Truth or Dare, just for fun. Everything was proceeding normally when I suddenly heard the door to our apartment bang open. For a brief moment I felt a thrill of heart-stopping fear run through me - talking about old memories had dredged up some of my old paranoia about _him_. I thought about it for a split second; the only people who had a key to our apartment were me, Soul and-

Tsubaki burst into my room and found Soul and I sitting _very_ close to each other on my bed. Her eyes widened for a moment then she grabbed my wrist.

"Hi Soul! Bye Soul!" She said quickly as she dragged me off my bed and out into the kitchen.

"Hey Tsu-" I gasped, trying to keep up with what was happening.

She sent me an accusing look before pulling me into the hallway. I crashed into Liz and Patty and they both steadied me with a hand on my shoulders.

"So…" they prompted, looking directly at Tsubaki.

"You were right! She was sitting - on _her _bed - with him!" Tsubaki huffed, then turned to me. "Maka, you could have told us!"

"Um, told you what? I'm honestly so lost right now," I said, looking between the girls. In the distance I heard Soul call my name. Liz opened my apartment door - which still had Tsubaki's key in the lock - and shouted to Soul.

"She's fine! We're taking her today for a girl's outing!" She turned back to me and grabbed my hand and began pulling me in the direction of the elevator. I began to resist and pull back, but Tsubaki and Patty pushed me from behind until I was half-dragged, half-shoved into the elevator. Tsubaki, Liz, and Patty all stood with their backs to me as if I had seriously offended them. Okay, what the hell was going on?

"Maka," Patty began, but the ding of the elevator cut her off and once again they forced me out of the apartment building and into Tsubaki's car.

"Guys! What the hell is going on?" I growled at my cryptic friends.

Liz turned and gave me a look that said, _You know exactly what's going on_.

No, I didn't!

God, I had no freakin idea why my friends were kidnapping me! And right when I was spending time with Soul, too…

"Why didn't you tell us? Girl, that was seriously… I don't even know. These things are kind of important!" Tsubaki said, turning her head from the drivers seat to glare at me.

"Eyes on the road!" Liz yelped as she leaned over from the passenger seat to steady the steering wheel.

"Okay, Tsubaki, I'll tell you whatever when we get where we're going! Please, just don't kill us before we get there!" I pleaded, still confused as hell.

She huffed again and turned her attention back to the road. Patty, who was sitting next to me, began to doodle giraffes in a notebook she found on the floor of Tsubaki's car. I stared out the window, feeling the tension that blanketed the car and weighed down on my shoulders. Eventually we arrived at Tsubaki's apartment complex and walked in awkward silence to her room. She burst through the door - man, this was the angriest I'd ever seen her - and marched into the kitchen. Black*Star and Kid were in the main area playing some sort of video game on the TV. They looked up into the face of hell itself as Tsubaki stormed in. I saw something very akin to fear in their face.

She glared at the two boys. "Out," she snarled, gesturing with her hand towards the door. Death the Kid scrambled up from the couch and bolted for the door. Black*Star, the man who will surpass God himself and who fears no opponent, took one look at his longtime partner's face and beat Kid to the door.

As soon as I entered the room, Tsubaki turned on me. "What do you think you were doing? I can't believe you didn't tell us. Hell, this has gotta be something huge for you, Maka! How could you not tell us?"

"Ah- um, tell you what?"

Tsubaki, Liz, and Patty all looked at each other, then said in unison, "_You're dating Soul!_"

My jaw dropped. "I'm doing _what_ now?"

"Um, Maka, you and Soul both miss school on the same day, then one of my friends saw you guys walking out of a movie and eating ice cream together, and then, and _then_, I walk into your room - your _bed_room, mind you - and you guys are just sitting together, laughing like it's no big deal that you're finally dating the guy of your dreams and you DIDN'T TELL YOUR FRIENDS!" Tsubaki was panting from her little rant.

"Whoa, wait, back up the truck! Maka was in love with Soul before?" Liz broke in.

"Whoa wait, _stop_ the freakin truck, I was in love with Soul before? How could you tell?" I asked, then froze and blushed in chagrin, realizing I had totally just revealed my biggest - well, second biggest secret.

"Maka," Tsubaki said, her voice suddenly soft and more normal, "It was kinda obvious. I mean, Soul is pretty attractive," I felt a little twitch somewhere in my chest, "and you guys have been together for, like, forever. Who wouldn't be in love with their best friend?" Tsubaki suddenly gasped then blushed furiously.

"Tsubaki…" I began, a rather demonic smile lighting up my face. She began to vigorously shake her head. "You wouldn't happen to have some more than we're-just-friends feelings for our psychotic friend Black*Star, would you?"

"He's not psychotic, he's just- oh crap."

"YAY! TSUBAKI!" I squealed, jumping up and down. "So, have you told him? Are you guys a couple?"

"What? No! I could never just confess to him! And besides, _Maka_, you haven't dished the dirt on your little love affair either!"

"Oh, that," I said dismissively.

"Yes, that," Liz commented sarcastically.

"Yeah, we're not actually together. Well, um, I had a nightmare the night before last about where my… scars… came from, and Soul heard me screaming, so he came in and comforted me…"

"Well, as freakin depressing as that is, that's also so freakin _romantic!_" Liz sighed. I nodded, a light blush staining my cheeks.

"So then I told him that I had nightmares if he wasn't home when I fell asleep, and he promised he'd be home every night. And he took me out for a day of fun after my crappy night. But when he was rubbing my back to comfort me after the nightmare, he felt the edge of my scars, and made me show him…"

Patty whistled, and Tsubaki and Liz dropped their eyes.

"So I thought I'd be fine if he was home, but talking about what happened was bringing up old memories, so last night I had the nightmare again, and guess what?"

"What?" All three of my friends said, hanging off of my every word.

"He came in to sleep with me! We spent the entire night together! And I didn't have any nightmares!"

Tsubaki sighed dreamily and shot me a slightly jealous look. Now that the fear from the night was gone, I could relax a bit and appreciate the fact that I had spent the night in the arms of the man I loved.

"Um… I really don't mean to bring up such a sensitive topic, but where exactly did the scars come from? Rocks are a bullshit excuse, by the way," Liz asked seriously.

I sighed and sat down on Tsubaki's couch. Liz sat next to me, and Patty and Tsubaki on chairs on either side. I repeated the story I told Soul the night before, watching their faces change from shock, to horror, back to shock again.

"But hey, I'm much better now!" I lied cheerfully. "I mean, right after it happened I was pretty messed up, but you guys have been there for me this whole time." Funny how I never lied around Soul.

"No shit," Liz growled.

"You guys really helped me get through a tough time and you didn't even know it, so thanks."

"Oh Maka," Tsubaki threw her arms around my neck. "We're always here for you, understand?" I hugged her back and smiled into her hair.

"So…" Liz began, smiling naughtily.

"So…" I repeated, making it a question.

"So, if last night ever repeats, you'd better have some killer pajamas, right?"

"SHOPPING!" Patty squealed. I laughed indulgently and followed them out for a day of hardcore shopping.

xXoXx

I returned late at night with quite a few bags. I dropped them on the counter as I walked in, calling out "I'm home!" as I did.

Soul was watching TV, but he muted it and turned around to talk to me. "So, the girls didn't kill you with too much shopping?"

"No," I laughed, "but we lost Patty when she went looking for giraffe stuffed animals."

He chuckled along with me, then turned back to the television. "Oh, you got a letter in the mail. I left it on the counter."

I checked the counter, and sure enough there was a letter there with _Maka Albarn_ written on it in fancy script. I opened the envelope and a sheet of heavy paper fell out. I unfolded it and began to read.

_My dear Maka,_

_I am so sorry it took this long for me to reach you; things never really were right since the night you ran out on me. Quite strange of you, really, but we'll call it heightened emotion. Intense relationships can be like that sometimes._

_I've missed you all these years. I truly cared about you and I've been searching for you for a very long time. Of course, I finally find you, and you're with another man! I thought I left marks deep enough you'd only thing of me, but I guess time has dulled the memory. You must be _aching_ for a reminder._

_Do you remember that night? You found out how much I truly cared about you - see, I loved you so much I _still_ showed you even after you said you were leaving._

_I'm so glad you've found a place to stay, but I'm afraid your roommate will have to go. After all, there's only room for me in your life. I think I'll drop by soon, my dear. I've missed you so much. _

_All my love,_

_Asura Kishin_

The letter fell from my numb fingers.

He found me.

He found me.

He knew where I lived.

He knew about Soul.

He found me.

**Bum Bum BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA**

**The next chapter should be up soon! R&R!**


	6. Chapter 6

Still Healing - Chapter 6

**So in case this wasn't clear, this doesn't take place in the normal Soul eater world, as everyone is just normal humans. Or seriously abnormal, depending on who you talk to. Thanks so much to my reviewers - I've decided to live off of reviews instead of actually susteneance like food and water, so your review are a big help! Please continue to R&R!**

"SOUL!" I shrieked as I tore into the sitting room. He was still there, though he had jumped up off of the couch at my loud outburst.

"What? What's wrong?" he asked frantically, dropping the TV remote and bolting around the couch. Tears were running down my cheeks as my knees suddenly gave way and I fell, narrowly avoiding hitting the ground as Soul caught me centimeters from the floor.

"Maka!" He yelled, picking me up and cradling me to his chest. I grabbed the front of his shirt.

"Soul, I'm so sorry," I moaned, resting my forehead on his chest.

"What's wrong?" he asked, sitting down on the couch with me on his lap and gently stroking my hair.

"I have to leave, I have to get out of here. Away from you."

He stiffened like he'd just been shocked. "What?" he whispered.

"He found me, Soul. He found _you. _I can't do that to you. I can't put you in danger because of my mistake."

"Mistake?" he growled in my ear.

"'Don't you dare touch me'," I quoted, my life vanishing before my eyes. I had built a shell with my friends and pretended I could lie my way out of memories. I had hidden from the things I couldn't erase and done the thing that screwed everything up in the first place - I had gotten close to someone else.

"I'm going to kill that bastard," Soul hissed, his voice hard. I twisted to look at his face in surprise - there was something in his eyes I had never seen before, a kind of fiery hatred and a horrible bloodlust. He met my eyes, his gaze burning into mine. "Maka, you did nothing wrong. He has no damn right at all to make you this scared, to hurt you this much when he isn't even here. He has no right to even know your name, and I guarantee I'll make him forget it. I won't let him touch you ever again, Maka."

I stared at him for a moment. Why didn't he understand? "Soul, why? Why are you caring? Why are you still here when I dragged you into this mess? Soul, I'm a lost cause! No matter how many times you hold me at night or keep the dreams away, it can't change the fact that _I can't be changed_. Face it, I'm broken! I'm not worth it! And yet, you... You're still here! Why can't you just abandon me?!"

He stared at me for a moment in silence, his eyes wide. I wearily climbed off of his lap and went into my room, closing the door behind me. I pulled back the covers and started to get in, then changed my mind and just sat on my bed. I pulled off my shirt and stared at the criss-cross of pain, lies, and horror that had become my life. I traced the raised lines with my finger and marveled at my friends. They were so loyal, and I had just put their lives in jeopardy; I had no doubt Asura didn't have issues with murder. I sighed and put my pajamas on, then resigned myself to nightmares and went to sleep.

xXoXx

I woke up about the middle of the night, but not from a bad dream.

Sleeping next to me with his arms cradling me was Soul, breathing softly and fluttering my hair on the pillow. I watched his face as he slept; somehow, he seemed younger and more innocent.

I smiled sadly at him and ever so quietly slipped out of his arms. Moving as silently as possible, I unzipped a bag and shoved some clothes in it. After I grabbed a jacket out of my closet, I shut the door with a quiet _click_.

I didn't care how much I loved him, nothing was worth him getting hurt.

I scribbled a quick _sorry_ on a scrap of paper and left it on the counter, grabbed my bag, and left my safety and my comfort. I took the elevator down and left our- his apartment building and walked down the street. It was a warm night with a pleasantly cool breeze bearing the smell of lilies drifting through the streets. It was just my body moving, my mind was still in a warm bed wrapped in someone's arms.

I heard a sudden crack behind me, as if a stick had been stepped on or something hard had been broken. Turning around, I saw a dark figure walking behind me.

_Probably nothing, _I thought. Even so, I decided to walk a little faster. I picked up the pace and rounded a corner, watching the dark figure cross the street without turning where I had. Heaving a sigh of relief, I turned around and bumped into another figure, knocking me to the ground. I let out a short scream before the person, whose face was in shadow, quickly put their hand over my mouth. I squeezed my eyes closed tight, knowing who I'd find if I opened them. I wasn't expecting him to find me so quickly, but that probably meant he hadn't gotten to Soul. Thank god.

"Maka? What are you doing out here?"

It was Kid. Freakin Death the Kid.

"KID! WHAT THE HELL?!" I yelled, scrambling up and grabbing my bag.

"What, Maka? I was just walking home from Black*Star's house," he explained, picking up my phone where it had fallen to the ground and handing it to me. "What are you doing out so late at night?"

Aw crap! Now that I'd bumped into Kid, he could warn Soul… best to just leave as quickly as possible.

"Umm, just, you know, um, I had a... thing… Bye!" I said quickly, stuttering over the lamest of lame excuses as I hoisted my bag over my shoulder and started half-running, half-walking down the street away from Kid. Unseen behind me, he gave me a concerned look and pulled out his phone.

I kept going, taking so many twists and turns that even if I wanted to go back (more than I already did, of course) I wouldn't have been able to.

And then, I heard a voice.

_Oh, Maka… running again…_

I froze, the hair on the back of my neck standing up. I whirled around to find… nothing.

_Maka, Maka, I'm not behind you._

I spun around, trying to pinpoint the source of Asura's voice.

_That's it, my dear, just keep searching for me. I knew you still cared for me._

"You're wrong!" I shouted into the silence of night.

_Is that a lie? Or can you not tell anymore?_

"It's not a lie. It's not a lie!" I said out loud, covering my ears.

_Now now, that won't keep me out; you know that. I always have, and always will be, inside of you._

I screamed, clawing at my ears and trying to rip his voice out. The scars on my abdomen burned like fire again as I crumpled into a little ball by an abandoned storefront. Salty tears stung my lips as they left wet trails down my face. I laid my head on my bag, whimpering as Asura's voice continued to twist like a knife inside of me.

By now I knew he wasn't real, he was my own twisted mind. The voice was just the part of me I had buried deep down to try and destroy; it was like a wound. Instead of taking the gauze off to let it air out, I had let it fester in return for keeping it hidden.

No matter what I did, Asura would always be inside of me. His voice would follow me everywhere now that I had left the one who kept him away.

_A small price to pay for him_, I tried to tell myself. But with the monster's voice burning inside of me, I just wanted to run back to Soul's arms.

I don't know how long I was laying there, but it was quite a long time. I kept hearing his voice whispering in my head and feel my scars writhe - who knew I had this much bottled up inside?

_Ba ba dummmmmm. Ba ba dummmmmm._

My phone was ringing.

I weighed the chance of it being Soul against the chance of it being Kid and decided that anyone's voice, even the one I wanted to hear most but shouldn't, was better than Asura's. Besides, even if he asked where I was, I had no idea!

"Hello?" I answered, hoping my voice sounded normal.

"Maka? Oh my god, where are you? What were you doing out at three in the morning? Are you safe? What's going on?"

I heaved a sigh of relief. It was Tsubaki.

"Tsubaki, I'm fine. I'm home right now, I couldn't sleep so I took a walk."

"Was it the nightmares?" she asked, her voice going quiet.

"Yeah…" I lied. Well, what was the harm anymore?

"Wait, you're really at your place? Kid said you had a bag with you and were in a hurry, not to mention heading away from your apartment building."

Damn that Kid. I mean, I love him to death (pun naturally intended), but dammit.

"No, really, I'm home, and I'm about to go to sleep. The bag was… just… some sleepover stuff. I was planning on sleeping over at your place, but I changed my mind… Sorry I was just going to crash at your place!" I laughed weakly.

"Okay, Maka, just wanted to make sure you were okay… Kid sounded pretty worried, so I thought I'd check."

"Thanks for the thought, Tsubaki! Goodnight!" I flipped my phone shut and took a deep breath. Somehow, I felt better after speaking to my best friend, even though I had lied my way through the entire conversation.

Asura's voice had receded during my conversation and didn't seem to be coming back at the moment, so I decided to keep walking.

I walked all night, and thankfully his voice didn't return. For now. I walked to the train station and boarded the one headed to my father's town. He had moved away from Death City after my mother died, so he had an apartment about 30 minutes away by railroad. I ended up at his doorstep at about 5 o'clock in the morning and knocked. I had to wait for about five minutes, but eventually I heard the key turn in the lock.

"Hello?" My father said, his eyes unfocused and blinking. He was fully dressed, but his clothes were wrinkled as if he'd been sleeping in them. His gaze suddenly cleared as my face came into focus. "MAKA! Is that really you? Oh my god, it's been so long!"

"Yeah, there's a reason for that," I muttered under my breath. My father was a hopeless womanizer, something that tore our family apart. "Um, dad, is it alright if I stay here today?"

"Of course Maka, I'd be delighted! We'll be able to spend some quality father-daughter time together!"

I shuddered.

"But, why do you need to stay here?" he asked, his brow wrinkling in concern. "Did Soul do something to you?"

I flinched at the mention of his name, and all the love and trust I'd left behind. My father took that as confirmation of that assumption, when in reality the thing had been done to me far before that.

"I'll kill him! I swear I will, I'll kill him for touching my precious little girl!" he seethed, letting me through the door.

_I'm going to kill that bastard, _Soul's voice echoed in my mind. I gasped and put a hand to my mouth as tears threatened to spill down my cheeks, choking back a sob. My father saw me hold back the tears and his face darkened like a thundercloud.

"That damn brat," he muttered, murder in his eyes. "You know what? I'm going to call him right now!"

"NO!" I shouted, snatching the cell phone from my father's hand and throwing it on the floor. "You idiot, Soul didn't do anything! I'm sad because I _left!_" I grabbed my bag and headed to where I knew the spare room was, locking the door behind me. I sat down with my back to the wall, but this time I knew Soul wasn't on the other side to keep the memories away.

_Ba ba dummmmmm. Ba ba dummmmmm._

Again? I flipped open my phone and put it to my ear.

"Hey Tsubaki! What's up?"

"Maka!" Soul's frantic voice came from the other end.

I froze as if I was a statue.

"Maka, I'm so sorry! Where are you? Maka, I found the letter. You have to stop worrying about _me!_ Worry about yourself! I can't protect you if you're not by my side!"

I mouthed his name, my lips refusing to make sound.

"Maka, please come home! Maka, I lo- " _click_.

I didn't want to hear it.

**Sorry I plot badly (yes, plot as in a verb), but I like fast action so things happen quickly.**

**And yes, Soul was going to say what you're probably thinking he was about to say. Come on, Maka! Continue the phone call for _three more seconds_! We wanna hear him say it! God I'm cruel to myself...**

**Next chapter should be up within the next few days or so! Maybe I'll do an extra long one as a Thanksgiving special...**

**R&R! Bye!**


	7. Chapter 7

Still Healing - Chapter 7

**Yes, I'm being cruel in making Maka leave.**

**Yes, Crona will be in this.**

**Yes, you should review this for me :)**

I blocked Soul's number on my phone.

It hurt, almost more than leaving him, but he called all the time. I almost just dumped the phone, but it was my only link to my friends and it made me feel closer to them, even though I wasn't contacting them in any way.

I also blocked Tsubaki's number.

And Black*Star's, Kid's, Patty's and Liz's.

I made my father promise not to tell them where I was, or even that I had stayed at his house. I was now renting a small apartment on the other side of my dad's city; I didn't want him to get involved too. I mean, he _was_ a horrible father, but he did keep his promise not to tell my friends.

I was really, _really_ lonely. I couldn't go to school of course, seeing as how it was now in a different city and my friends probably wouldn't let me leave. I couldn't talk to my friends and risk bringing them into this mess, so I had to literally sit and wait for Asura to come and get me. I wasn't even bait on a hook, I was just bait because Asura was probably going to take me without getting caught.

_I'm going to kill that bastard_.

I kept hearing Soul's voice. I kept hearing Asura's voice. Hell, my head was getting crowded! Of course, the only voice I actually wanted to hear was the one that seemed the furthest away. I missed Soul so much.

He left me a message on my phone before I blocked his number.

_Maka, we all miss you. You owe it to yourself and to us to at least explain to us why you have to leave, because we can handle ourselves. The only thing we can't handle is being without you. We all love you, Maka. Come home to us._

_*click*_

You have no idea how many times I listened to that message.

So I finally decided to get off my behind and at least live while I still could. I owed it to them to not waste what dwindling time I had left.

I went out and got a job waitressing at a café near my apartment. It wasn't exactly my old life - nothing could ever replace that - but it was a life. I worked with a guy named Crona who started off extremely shy and seemed to always be nervous, though he never told me why. He and I gradually grew to be better friends, though of course not as close as my old friends. I worked a full workday every day of the week except Sundays, so at least I was busy.

One morning I woke up to find my father at my door, knocking at the crack of dawn. I grouchily clambered out of bed and yanked the door open.

"Whaddya want?" I grumbled. I could have slept in for another half hour.

"Maka, baby! So good to see you!"

""The feeling is not mutual at FOUR O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING!" I screeched, about to slam the door in his face.

"Wait, Maka! I just wanted to tell you I'm going to be gone for a little over a week."

"What? Why?" I asked, all sorts of conspiracy theories sprouting in my head.

"Nothing weird, just work stuff. But I didn't want you to maybe come by my apartment and find no one there." He suddenly fidgeted and bit his lip. This was not like my father - if he had something to say, he'd probably just blurt it out at the top of his lungs.

"What else?" I asked, staring at his shifting eyes.

"And, I have this." He handed me an envelope then backed away. "Um... I know I'm a horrible father, but I can tell you're hurting. I don't know if this will help, but I hope it does. Bye!" He waved and then disappeared down the hallway.

I shook my head at him and withdrew into my tiny kitchenette. Using a knife as a letter opener, I slit the top of the envelope and shook the contents out into my hand.

My eyes opened wide and my hands started shaking. I began to tremble like a leaf in a storm, but I wasn't crying.

It was a picture. A picture of me, Soul, Liz, Patty, Kid, and Tsubaki. We were all standing in front of our school on the first day. Black*Star had his arm around Soul's neck and Tsubaki was trying to get him to let go. Kid was rolling his eyes at them, Liz and Patty standing symmetrically behind him. And Soul had the arm that wasn't trying to kill Black*Star around my shoulders.

It was from the happiest time of my life - not before the Asura incident, but after when I was still broken and they were helping me heal. I folded the picture in half and tucked it in the pocket of the pants I was planning on wearing, then took a shower and headed to work.

I found myself looking at the picture a lot. Every time I had a second off, the picture was out of my project and I was smoothing the crease out of it. Sometimes I'd reach into my pocket just to make sure it was still there.

I had a few moments of rest in the supply closet, so I pulled out the photograph again and was staring at it, stroking my fingers lightly across the glossy finish.

"They look like they'd be fun," a quiet voice spoke behind me. I jumped up and whirled around to find Crona smiling nervously at me. "Are they your friends?"

"Um, yeah, they were," I said, trying to calm my racing heart. Why did everybody always make me jump?

"I never had friends because I didn't know how to interact with anyone," he stated, not sadly. Just a statement.

"Well, now you do! I'm your friend, right Crona?" I smiled at him. He smiled back and nodded.

Then he frowned. "Where are they?" he asked, his brow furrowed.

"Oh, they're in Death City," I smiled, a little sadly. A sudden thought occurred to me. "Hey Crona, do you have a picture of yourself?"

"Um, no, I've never been really good at interacting with my phone..."

"Hold still and smile," I instructed, then snapped a picture of him. "Well, we'd better get back out there again." I tucked the photo back in my pocket and was about to leave when Crona stopped me with a hand in my shoulder.

"Do you miss them?" He asked, his face serious.

"More than you know," I sighed and left the room.

xXoXx

"Hey Crona! Look!" I called out as soon as I walked in the next day. He nearly dropped the plates he was carrying when I startled him, and I admit I was a little happy that someone else had the crap scared out of the besides me.

"W-what is it, M-Maka?" he stuttered, walking over to me.

"Alright, you're officially one of my friends!" I smiled and brought the photo out if my pocket. The picture of Crona was taped in beside Soul and I.

"M-Ma-Maka!" Crona suddenly wailed as he threw his arms around my neck. I gave him a tight hug, then let him step back.

"I wish you could have met them, Crona. They would have loved you."

He smiled, a real smile, and nodded.

The rest of the day Crona was the happiest If ever seen him. He shyly walked up to me right before we headed home and asked if he could see the picture again. I handed it to him and left him with it as I went to hang up my apron.

When I came back, both Crona and the picture were gone.

xXoXx

The next day Crona wasn't at work. I thought maybe he just forgot and accidentally slipped the photo in his pocket, but he wasn't answering his phone and he didn't call in sick that day. It was just a little weird.

And I wanted my picture back, dammit!

But I couldn't find him anywhere. I really needed that picture. Where had he gone?! I had to content myself with waiting for my father to return (ugh) to see if he had another copy. The boss of the cafe said that Crona hadn't talked to her to explain his absences. Because now he had been gone three days.

I was sitting at home on the third day (a Sunday, so I had work off) when suddenly someone knocked on my door. I jumped up to get it, hoping for the first time it was my father.

"Maka! I'm so glad you're okay!" my father nearly squealed as he grabbed me in a hug.

"Yeah, hey dad. You know that picture you gave me?"

"Of course, Maka dear! Did it help?"

"Um, yeah… but a new friend of mine stole it. Maybe. Do you have another copy?"

His eyes narrowed. "Alright, who took my precious daughter's picture?"

"Dad! Do you have a copy?" I demanded, trying to keep him on track. He has the attention span of a squirrel.

"Oh, I'm so sorry Maka, that was my only copy…" His voice trailed off as he saw the lost look in my eyes.

"Nah, it's only a photograph. I've got better memories in here," I said, tapping the side of my head and forcing a smile. After a while, my father left again and I began to cook dinner for myself. I heard another knock at the door.

"Dad, just let yourself in!" I yelled in the general direction of the door.

"Ma-Maka? It's me, C-Crona…" I heard a voice say.

"Crona! What the _hell?_ Do you have my picture?" I continued to yell as I took off my apron and headed to the door. "And where the hell do you think you've b-"

I was cut off by strong arms wrapping around me and picking me up off the ground, crushing me to his chest.

"Wha-" I gasped, not understanding what I was seeing.

A long ponytail. A black star. A perfectly symmetrical suit. A giraffe t-shirt. A gel manicure.

And gloriously crimson eyes.

"Um… M-Maka, I brought better than the p-picture…" Crona stammered, following Tsubaki, Black*Star, Kid, Patty, and Liz into my apartment.

And Soul was already inside, hugging me so tight I thought my heart was going to burst. He set me down gently on the ground, keeping his arm around my waist and glaring down at me through his unruly ivory hair.

"Don't you _ever_ do that to me again, understand?" he growled, staring unblinkingly at me.

I nodded, still in shock, as he leaned down and picked me up again in a tight hug.

**Hell no, I'm not letting Maka stay alone! PS, Crona's officially going to join the group now. Because I love him and the gang. So there.**

**R&R! Love all of you who take the time to read my work!**


	8. Chapter 8

Still Healing - Chapter 8

**And the THANKSGIVING SPECIAL! It was hard to write this, I never seemed to have time. Anyway, happy thanksgiving for all you people out there, and enjoy the chapter! I wrote an abnormally long one just for you :)**

And then, of course, I got angry.

"Wait, why are you here?" I asked, suddenly stepping away from Soul's arms.

"Duh, we're here to bring you home!" Liz sang, jumping up and down.

"You idiots!" I seethed, glaring at them. "Do you know how dangerous this is for you? I tried to keep you guys out of it!"

"Yeah, and then we got pissed because we didn't know where you were. We were searching, like, forever. Your father was lying to us, I presume," Kid added, staring at me with both eyebrows raised (he never raised just the one, for obvious reasons). "And then, wonder of wonders, this kid with serious paranoia and asymmetrical hair shows up on Soul's doorstep, and is all like, 'Hey, I know where to find Maka!'"

I shook my head then turned on Crona. "Crona! How could you?"

"I-I'm sorry, Maka…" he said, hanging his head. "But you missed them so much… I couldn't leave you that lonely, because I knew how that felt."

Well, dammit! I couldn't get mad at him after that. So I decided to be pissed at Soul instead.

"Soul! You know how dangerous it is to bring them here! I trusted you to at least not drag them into it!"

"Soul didn't drag us! We dragged ourselves!" Patty said, happily dancing in place. I scowled at her.

"I'm dead serious guys. I am _not_ coming back. It's not worth it for you guys to get hurt because of my mis-" I noticed Soul's face darken like a thundercloud and quickly switched my words. "-because of my past. It's too dangerous."

"Didn't you miss us at all?" Tsubaki said softly, her hands clasped behind her.

_Yes, _I wanted to say. _Yes, I missed you so much it _hurt_. I wanted to run back to Soul and you and be safe and pretend Asura never happened and that we would live happily ever after._ Instead, I turned away from her and said, "Everything's not white horses and princes, Tsubaki. In life, there are many more villains than there are heroes. I'm just such a special horror story I get my own personal villain, and I'm not about to let any of my companions take the sword for me. It doesn't matter if I missed you or not, I still-"

"Did you have nightmares?" Soul interrupted quietly.

"No," I said, not looking at him.

"Liar."

We sat in silence for a moment.

"Yeah, I know," I whispered.

Silence.

"Lucky you, Maka."

"What?" I asked, whipping my head around to look at Soul. He was smiling my favorite smile, his hands in his pockets.

"You have your own personal villain, but you've also got three princes and three kick-ass fighting princesses, I might add."

"FOOL! I AM A GOD!" Black*Star shouted.

I made tea for all my friends and we sat down in my cramped living room, sipping our drinks and talking. Apparently they really had searched for me - Soul even came here, to my father's city, to try and find me. I wonder why my father didn't tell me.

Soul and I were sitting together on the couch next to Liz and Patty, who had somehow squished Crona in between them. Tsubaki was sitting in a chair and Black*Star was perched precariously on the arm while Kid meticulously arranging my shelves. I turned to Crona in an attempt to save him from being over-friended.

"So, Crona, how did you find them anyway?" I asked, watching him try to shrink into the couch.

"Um… I went to D-Death City b-because you said they li-lived there, and I went to the school that was in the background of the pi-picture."

"What picture?" Soul asked, lazily putting his arm behind me on the couch. Crona sheepishly fished the photograph out of his pocket and handed it to me, but Soul grabbed it before I could and unfolded it. I made a grab for it, but Soul held it straight above his head and Kid took it from his outstretched hand.

"Hey! Give it back!" I complained, starting to get up off the couch but Soul held me there. Kid passed the photo to Tsubaki, Black*Star, and the rest of my friends before it finally made its way back to me. Blushing furiously, I folded the picture and shoved it deep in my pocket.

"Maka…" Kid said in the awkward silence.

"What? Yes, I know, the picture's worn as hell which probably meant I looked at it all the time. Got a problem with that?" I growled belligerently.

"Um.. actually, I was going to say it was folded asymmetrically…"

"Man, the gods hate me," I sighed as my friends all burst out laughing. _Traitor,_ I thought as I glared at Tsubaki.

"So, Crona, where's your part in all this?" Kid asked when they had all regained their composure.

"U-um, I me-met Maka in this cafe where we worked, and we just be-became friends."

"So, have you lived in this city all your life?" Liz asked, nudging his shoulder.

"Um, this is my first real home…" he fidgeted. "I was in foster homes since I was twelve. My mother abused me as a child." There it was again, the same way he talked when he said he never had any friends! Nothing bitter, or hurt, or sad. Just… acceptance. We all sat in stupefied silence for a moment as I realized someone else had a villain.

And then that idiot Black*Star started_ laughing_. He started laughing so hard he fell of the arm of the began to roll across the floor, tears streaming down his face as he laughed loudly in the quiet room. Tsubaki had just stood up, fire flashing dangerously in her eyes, when Black*Star sat up, clutching his stomach and wiping tears away.

"We sure have a long list of people to kill," he choked out between giggles. "This god does not take kindly to people messing with his friends."

I reached over and took Crona's hand, enjoying the look of surprise on his face as Black*Star's comment registered in his mind. "See, told you they're awesome. Couldn't ask for bettor psychopaths."

"Hey Crona! You should come live with Kid!" Patty shouted, startling us all.

Kid nodded, smiling at Crona.

"Kid, are you sure you can live with him?" Liz interjected. Kid looked mildly confused for a moment as Liz continued on. "I mean, as you said earlier, his hair is…" she darted her eyes around the room and leaned in to whisper, "... asymmetrical."

"Oh, the horror!" I gasped in mock fright, making a scared face and laughing along with the rest of my friends. Kid stared at Crona, his eyes critically alighting upon the poor kid's asymmetrical pink hair.

"I could-" he began.

"No, you can't cut his hair," Patty said as she glared at Kid. He sighed and straightened up.

"I can live with it," he declared.

"You can?" Liz asked sarcastically.

"Yeah, sure, I put up with you every day," he smirked.

Liz leaned back on my couch and checked her nails. "Ha ha, got ya there Kid. I don't care if I'm asymmetrical."

Kid crumpled to the ground as he wailed about her lack of humanity. Crona let out a surprised little giggle at his crazy antics. I leaned back against Soul's arm, enjoying the warm glow my friends brought. It seemed like all was right with the world.

That seemed like famous last words.

xXoXx

Eventually, they decided to go get a few hotel rooms for the night. Crona, who had pretty much been forced to join us at school, returned to his apartment to pack up his belongings. I waved them out the door and then turned to clean up my living room, only to find Soul already picking up the dishes and carrying them into the kitchenette.

"What are you doing?" I asked, grabbing the rest of the dishes and following him.

"Cleaning up."

"Aren't you going to go get a hotel room?" I began to wash the dishes in the sink and handed them to Soul to dry. He scrubbed at them with a towel as we spoke.

"Nah, I don't feel like it. Thought I'd stay here."

"'May I please crash at your place, Maka?' 'Oh, of course! Thanks for _so nicely asking_, Soul!'" I grumbled under my breath. He shot me a crooked smile, then grabbed the plate from my hands and dried it. I huffed at him. "Sorry I've only got the couch," I said, secretly wishing he'd say something like 'I thought we could spend the night together again'.

"That's fine, I sleep on Black*Star's couch all the time," he replied.

Dang. Oh, well. I set Soul up on the couch and we sat and talked for a little, just enjoying each other's company. Apparently, big exams had come and gone in school, and a new teacher arrived who _loved_ dissection.

"No, I'm serious! We dissect something different every day!" he laughed.

"You've got to be kidding! That's so gross!" I chuckled along with him. I felt my eyes droop a little and yawned. Climbing up off the couch and stretching, I began to head towards my bedroom. "Hey, I'm pretty tired so-"

Soul grabbed my hand.

"Don't go," he said softly.

"What?" I asked, trying to see his eyes. He turned his head away from me.

"I just feel like if you leave, if you're out of my sight for one second, you'll disappear again." His hand tugged on mine gently, as if he wasn't sure I would stay. He was so ridiculous - of course I'd stay.

"Sure," I said brightly, trying to break the tension. I turned to take a step towards him, but me being nervous of course I tripped. I fell right onto Soul with a little squeak of surprise.

"Sorry!" I said, about to sit up when Soul's arms wrapped around me.

"Soul?" I said, making his name a question. He held me closer and I felt his shoulders start to shake.

He was crying.

I put my arms around him and hugged him. "Soul, I'm not going to leave. Not now, not ever. I'm going to stay with you and we're going to pretend like Asura isn't out there and life will go back to being perfect, alright?"

I felt him nod against my shoulders but held him until his quiet sobs stopped. He kept his arms around my shoulders as he lay down sideways on the couch, bringing me with him. He held me to him, but I still couldn't see his face. Even so, it was enough. To be able to be their with him, to be held in his arms and know he was there, it was enough.

xXoXx

I watched my father's city disappear as we rode the train back to Death City. Kid had talked to his father, the headmaster of the school we attended, and he agreed to let me restart school. My father said goodbye to me and we all boarded the train together, including Crona. He was sitting in between Liz and Patty again and once again looked terrified. Kid sat with them, while Tsubaki and Black*Star shared a seat with Soul and I.

"HEY!" Kid suddenly shouted, jumping up from his seat.

"What? What's wrong?" Tsubaki asked, frantically looking around the train car.

"Crona! Crona!" Kid said, turning to the nervous boy.

"W-what?" he stammered, trying to disappear into the seat.

"Do any of you realize that with Crona, asymmetrical as he may be, makes our little party number _eight?_"

"U-um, eight?" Crona asked, looking extremely confused.

"Eight is Kid's favorite number. It's symmetrical both ways it's divided." Liz continued to paint her nails, not even batting an eye at Kid's OCD. "He's just saying that this group is perfect now."

"YOUR GOD IS HERE! IT WAS ALREADY PERFECT!" Black*Star shouted at the top of his lungs. Tsubaki grabbed his arm and attempted to pull him back down, but he resisted until Soul leaned over and smacked him into the seat.

"Wow, we're all really screwed up," I giggled. "I mean, Kid's OCD is so bad he can hardly function, Black*Star has a divinity complex, Patty loves giraffes an unhealthy amount… How did I ever become friends with such weirdos?"

"It started with Tsubaki, remember? She _is_ the most normal out of all us, I guess…" Soul tapped his chin. "Do you remember when we first met?"

I smiled at him and he smiled back. "Yeah, I do," I replied. "Tsubaki introduced the rest of you to me all at once and I was so freaked out - a kid shouting he's god, some weirdo wearing a suit that's perfectly symmetrical, a girl drawing giraffes even though she's 19, her sister painting her nails while she walks, and you! God, you scared me so much! I turn around and there's some freaky kid I never saw before-"

"Freaky?" he interjected, feigning a hurt look.

"Yes, freaky. You surprise me when I turn around, and then you smile, and you look like a freakin' shark!" We all shared a laugh as Soul flashed his trademark teeth.

"Maybe I'm a vampire," he said, pretending to bite my neck. I pushed his face away and glared at him in mock outrage.

"Hey! Does this mean I'm a vampire now too?"

"I don't know. Did the first bite take? I can try again if you like," he smirked at me. We all laughed again as I tried to calm the flaming blush covering my cheeks. Tsubaki gave me a knowing look and I nudged her with my elbow, glaring at her. Too bad Liz caught it.

"Hey, Soul, maybe Maka enjoys being bitten." She gave me a demonic smile. Tsubaki hid her beaming smile beneath her hand.

"Okay, Liz, you look out the window! Soul, look the other direction." I shook my head and used my best mother voice. "Now, children, don't make me separate you two."

Before we knew it, we had arrived back in Death City. Soul carried my bags as we went back to our apartment, leaving Black*Star and Tsubaki at theirs and Kid going the other direction with Crona. Liz and Patty, seeing that it was a weekend, decided to go shopping.

Soul stopped to grab the mail when we walked in, then boarded the elevator. Finally walking through the doors of his- our apartment felt like coming home. It looked mostly unchanged - one of Soul's shirts was draped across the back of the couch and dirty dishes were in the sink, but it was pretty much the same.

"Ahem," I coughed, and gestured to his shirt. He smiled sheepishly and grabbed it, putting it with the dirty laundry. I dumped my bags in my room and began to wash the dishes in the sink, shaking my head as I did so. _Messy boys_, I thought. Soul came and helped me with the dishes, then we just relaxed for a while.

"Hey Soul, where's the mail?" I asked, looking for where it normally was on the counter.

"Why?" Soul suddenly looked very nervous and suspicious.

"Um… no reason, I just wanted to look through the mail…" I trailed off after seeing his expression.

He tried to smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Sure, I'll get it," he said, and walked into his room. He came back out after an unusually long moment with a stack of papers in his hand.

"Since when have you kept the mail in your room?" I asked, rifling through the papers.

"Since you left," he growled. I looked up to see him nervously rubbing his hands together.

"Hey Soul? You okay?" I put the papers down and looked him in the eye. He looked away.

"Yeah, 'course I'm fine."

Heavy silence settled over the room.

I reached for the remote and turned on the TV, changing it to one of Soul's cop shows. He came and sat next to me on the couch.

"Hey, I thought you didn't like this show," he commented, looking more normal.

"Actually, I watched a lot of it while I was gone. Reminded me of you." He put his arm around my shoulders and gave me a quick squeeze, then laid his arm across the back of the couch.

_I'm really here,_ I though. _I'm really home, and I'm really staying._

**Soul was acting weird, wasn't he? Hmm... wonder what that could mean...**

**R&R please!**


	9. Chapter 9

Still Healing - Chapter 9

**Sorry for not uploading sooner! So in reading other fanfics I have come to realize I actually update pretty frequently, so yay me cuz I have serious commitment issues :) Enjoy! It's a fluffy chapter without much Asura development, but it was fun to write.**

"So, are you still behind on your schoolwork?" Soul asked, fiddling with his wallet chain.

"Nope, thanks to you and Tsubaki I'm all caught up!" I smiled at him. He didn't meet my eyes.

"Good, that's good," he muttered. He turned around and walked into his room without another word.

_Weird,_ I thought. My thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of my phone.

"Hello?"

"Maka! Guess what!"

"Hey Tsubaki! What's up?"

"Do you have any idea what's coming up?" She sounded breathless.

"Um, no. Is it someone's birthday?"

"Better! It's the winter dance, at school!"

Oh. The winter dance.

"That's great, Tsubaki! Are you going?"

"Um, yeah…" Her voice dropped to a whisper. I guessed Black*Star was home. "I'd love it if Black*Star would ask me, but sometimes he's just so dense…"

"Girl, welcome to my world! Anyway, I _am_ all caught up on the schoolwork I missed, as Soul just reminded me, so I guess I'll go too."

"Yay! You need to get out sometimes for a fun night. Liz and Patty suggested we go dress shopping today, if you're up for it."

"Oh, they love any excuse to shop!" I chuckled. "Sure, I'm in. What time and where?"

"I'll come pick you up now, if you don't mind."

"Alright, see ya in a second!'

_Click_. I slipped my phone back into my pocket and grabbed my purse from my room. _A dance sounds fun,_ I thought, my eyes unconsciously cutting to Soul's room. As if my glance had summoned him, he appeared in his doorway.

"Where you goin?" he asked, his eyes unwavering as he looked at me. He didn't normally look so… serious.

"Dress shopping for the winter dance." I grabbed my jacket as I spoke.

"With someone?"

"Yeah, Tsubaki and the Thompson sisters." What was up with him? Why was he acting so strange?

"Okay, that's good." He sounded relieved. Did he not want me to be alone? We hadn't gotten anything from Asura besides that first letter, so I thought things were pretty safe.

"Did someone ask you?" he asked suddenly, his voice cutting through my thoughts.

"U-um, no, not yet… but I'm going either way, so I'll need a dress." What? I was so confused. He nodded again then disappeared back into his room. I shook my head and left the apartment to meet Tsubaki.

When I climbed into her car after a few minutes, she had already picked up Liz and Patty. We brainstormed stores to go to and ended up going to the first one that caught our eye. The dance was a formal occasion, so we got to totally dress up. I hadn't done that in a while.

We each picked out a few dresses then headed to the dressing rooms. Liz tried on a short red one, but it didn't fit so we vetoed it. She eventually decided on a sleeveless dress with a high neckline that fell all the way to the floor. The top part was red, and a black belt separated that from a white skirt. Patty chose the same dress, except the red and white were switched.

Tsubaki, probably one of the most beautiful people on the planet, chose a long white dress with a slit up the side. It had a halter top neckline and a plunging back. She chose short heels to go along with it so she wouldn't be too tall, seeing as she already towered over the rest of us.

The other girls actually ended up choosing a dress for me. I bought a forest green dress that brushed the floor, with gold embroidery climbing up from the hemline. It had short sleeves and a deep back, like Tsubaki's. I was getting pretty excited about this dance!

"So, who are y'all going with?" Liz asked as we exited the store.

"I think I'll ask Crona," Patty said, swinging her bag.

"What?" I asked, astounded.

"_Crona?_" Her sister asked.

She nodded. "Well, he's so lonely, and I bet he'd look adorable in a suit!"

"But you're going to ask him?" Tsubaki sounded shocked.

"Yeah. I mean, he's so shy he can hardly speak! If no one asks him, he probably won't end up going."

"I'd never be able to ask Black*Star!" Tsubaki declared.

"Just like I'd never be able to ask Soul!" I added.

"Guess what, ladies? It's okay to be jealous, I know you all want to be me, but Kid already asked me," Liz announced, enjoying our shocked faces.

"Lucky!" I said enviously. Tsubaki nodded her agreement. "So, are you guys, like, a couple now?"

"What? No!" Liz said quickly, her cheeks flushing.

Tsubaki and I looked at each other. "Yes!" we said in unison. Liz flipped her hair and turned her back on us. We smiled at each other, both hoping we'd get asked.

xXoXx

"Hey Maka, would you go to the winter dance with me?"

Whoa, totally not what I was expecting!

Before me stood Eric, a kid from my Honors Biology class, patiently waiting for my response.

_Why is he asking me?_ I thought. "Uh, can I give you an answer in a bit?"

He nodded and gave me a smile before he left. I let out a deep breath and continued walking towards my apartment, lost in thought.

"Whatchya thinkin' about?" Soul asked, slightly breathless, as he skidded to a stop next to me.

"The winter dance," I answered, giving him a smile.

"Oh, right. That." He didn't sound very excited. "So, are you… going with anyone?"

"I don't know yet," I said, looking at my feet. "Eric just asked me, but-"

"That kid? Why'd he ask you?" Soul sniffed contemptuously. He looked angry for some reason.

I suddenly felt angry as well. "I don't know! Why _wouldn't_ he ask me?" I snarled.

"Has he ever spoken to you before?" We had stopped walking by then, and were facing each other on the sidewalk.

"A few times. Why does it matter to you? I want to go to the dance, and I'd love to have a date. So there!"

"Oh, a date now?" he spat. "Aww, are you guys a couple? That's so _sweet_." His voice was dripping venom.

My eyes began to fill with tears. This was Soul! Why was he being so mean?

"Even if we were, it's none of your business! Leave me alone!" I yelled, and took off running towards our home. I heard him call my name, but I didn't care. I slammed the door to our apartment and went straight to my room, locking the door. I sat on my bed and hugged my pillow while I cried.

Eventually I heard the door to the apartment open and shut quietly.

"Maka?" Soul's voice rang through the silent apartment. A light tap sounded at the door. "Maka, let me in."

"Leave me alone," I sniffed.

"Maka, I'm sorry, whatever I said!"

"Go AWAY!" I shrieked. He didn't say anything else. I spent the rest of the day in my room, eventually getting off my bed and doing my homework. Thinking back on our argument, it really was kind of stupid, but I was still kind of pissed at him. It really was none of his business - it wasn't like he had asked me or anything.

I skipped dinner and went straight to bed, completely forgetting I hadn't unlocked the door.

_Asura._

Idiot that I was, I still woke up screaming, tears cascading down my face and my scars burning like fire. Curling up into a little ball, I dimly heard Soul banging on my door and shouting my name. I didn't really notice - my mind was still stuck somewhere a whole lot more painful with someone a whole lot meaner.

_Crash._

Well, _that_ broke through my memories. I sat up in astonishment, blinking tears from my eyes, as Soul literally crashed through my door and raced over to hug me. He held me tightly, crushing me to his chest. Over his shoulder I could see the mangled remains of the lock on my door barely hanging on my splinters.

"Oh, you _idiot!_ I don't care if we get in a fight, you leave that door unlocked! Understand?" he growled in my ear.

"Um, my door…" I choked out.

"_Understand?_" he asked again, a little more forcefully.

"Yeah…"

He just sat there and held me for a moment.

"Soul… my door!" I said, pushing against his chest. He looked over at my poor lock as it heaved its last breath and crashed to floor among slivers of wood.

"Oh, right, that…" He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Uh, I'll fix that."

I did my best to give him a severe look with my tear-stained cheeks and pale face. "You'd better. I won't lock it again because now I know you'll just go _through_ the door."

And just like that, our fight was resolved and my nightmares were gone.

Okay, the fight was mostly resolved. There was still the matter of Eric.

xXoXx

"Hey, Eric?" I called out to him just as we were leaving the biology classroom. Lucky for me, biology was my last class.

"Maka!" he smiled at me.

"Well, you know, I just wanted to tell you I'd love to-"

"Maka, what the hell are you doing?"

Soul. Dammit. His class was at the other end of the building, so I'd hoped to accept Eric's invitation before he got there. Hey! It wasn't like anyone else (cough cough) was going to ask me.

"Oh, you know, just talking to a classmate," I lied, laughing lightly. He narrowed his eyes.

"Yeah, a few days ago I asked Maka to the winter dance. I think maybe she's like to talk about that, so would you mind giving us some privacy?" Eric asked pointedly, staring a challenge at Soul. I winced and kicked at a rock in the dirt.

"Actually, Maka and I were just about to walk back to _our_ apartment, so I'm sure she's ready to go home," Soul replied, straightening up to his full height and taking a small step towards Eric.

"Is that so, Eater? I don't know, maybe she-"

"Maybe she would like it if you acknowledged her presence!" I yelled. They both looked at me for a fraction of a second then back at each other.

"Anyway, Eater, I don't see how she's any of your business. So butt out!"

"She's my… roommate. I'm responsible for her safety!"

"Hey! Who made you my protector?" I said. They ignored me.

"Last I checked, I asked her to the dance, not you! You have no right to be jealous!"

Jealous? Soul was jealous… over _me_?

_Smack_. I looked up just in time to see Soul's fist collide with Eric's face, smashing him back. He looked up in outrage, massaging his jaw and wincing.

"Stay away from Maka, you jerk." And with that, Soul grabbed my arm and dragged me back to our apartment.

**R&R! Hope you liked it! Oh, and thanks SO MUCH to everyone who ever left a review, because they mean the world to me. Cheerio!**


	10. Chapter 10

Still Healing - Chapter 10

**...please don't kill me. I AM SO SORRY I HAVE NOT UPDATED IN FOREVER. I got really sick, then had the honestly worst case of writer's block I've ever experienced, and then came freakin finals in school. Which are actually still going on (wish me luck, all of my hard ones are tomorrow) but I figured out that posting to the fanfic net is the best way to procrastinate and not get anything done :) SO! As penance for my sins, I give you a fluffy chapter!**

"S-Soul! Wait! What the hell was that back there?!" I protested as Soul half-dragged me down the sidewalk. "Hey, you didn't need to hit him!" Soul didn't say anything. "Soul, _stop!_" I said loudly, wrenching my arm out of his grip.

"That… that... " he didn't seem to find a word strong enough, so he merely let out a growl, "He has no right to ask you to the dance!"

"Soul, I don't recall giving you jurisdiction over my personal life!"

"I _am_ your personal life!"

"What the heck is wrong with you? You've never acted like this!"

"Tch." He ground his teeth and looked away from me.

"Soul, no matter how you feel, that was taking it too fa-"

"No matter how I feel? No matter _how I feel?_" He hissed. "Maka, do you have any idea how I feel?"

"U-uh, I don't know…" I stammered.

"I don't know either. All I know is that whenever you're around, my heart beats faster. I feel like I always want to protect you. Whenever you have a nightmare, I feel like I want to find Asura and rip his damn head off, then hug you until you forget about him. I feel like I can't think straight when you're near me. And when someone _else_ is near you, I feel like I want to hide you so you'll be protected forever and no one else will ever touch you. Hell, I don't _know_ how I feel!"

We were both silent for a beat. All I could hear was the my heartbeat sounding in my ears and his deep breathing.

"Soul, you idiot!" I finally said, smacking him on the back of the head.

"Maka, what the-" His voice was cut off as I pulled him into a tight hug. He stood there frozen for a moment before slowly putting his arms around me. For all we would know, the earth could have ended right there, but we were lost in each other's world.

"Don't you know I feel the same way about you?" I murmured. We stayed like that for a minute or an hour - I couldn't tell. Then he grabbed my hand and gently tugged me in the direction of the apartment.

"Soul! Wait!" I tugged back, bringing him around to face me and catching his other hand. I suddenly blushed (well, blushed even more than I already was) and dropped my eyes.

He gently stroked my cheek with the back of his hand, keeping our fingers intertwined. "What is it?" he asked softly. My heart nearly stopped.

"N-no! I can't say it, it's too embarrassing!" I stuttered, my resolve crumbling like a sandcastle before the tide.

"Fine then. I'll say something. Maka, will you go to the winter dance with me?" A triumphant grin flashed across his face.

"Isn't that technically _asking_ something, not saying something? Saying something implies a statement being made."

"Okay, nerd. I'll _ask_ you to the winter dance, and I'll _state_ that I've wanted to say that for a very long time. I could never get up the courage to ask that. Lucky me that you hadn't been asked yet - I thought that if you ended up without a date, you and I could play it cool and end up going together just because. And then that idiot had the audacity to ask you, and I sorta snapped…" he tilted his head back, smiling ruefully.

"No, more like you snapped his face back. I mean, jealousy's fine and all, but you didn't have to hit him _that_ hard. You deserved to sweat a little for making me think I'd end up going to the dance alone." I glared at him for a moment. _All that stressing, wasted…_

I suddenly realized we were still holding hands in the middle of the sidewalk. "Sorry, sorry!" I said, quickly loosening his grip and shoving my hands behind my back. He gave me an appraising look, raising one of his eyebrows. "What?" I snapped.

"You haven't given me an answer…" he prompted.

"Oh, that! Of course I'll go, Soul! Duh!" I smiled.

"Duh? You were that excited?"

"No! I just meant, like, if someone were to ask you, you'd be excited, right?" I felt the hot flush begin to travel from my cheeks to my neck.

"I've already had a few people ask me. Not terribly exciting, I'm afraid." He nonchalantly turned and started walking back to our house, leaving me in horrified silence.

"Wai- What? _Some people have already asked you?_" I exclaimed, my voice rising in pitch as I struggled to keep a lid on my emotions. "Were they girls?" I gave him an accusing stare.

""Well yeah, I should hope so!" He continued to walk as if a giant green monster wasn't about to end the world. _Is this what his jealousy felt like?_ I thought, not enjoying the burning feeling in my chest at all.

"Why didn't you tell me this, Soul?! This is important!" I felt my anger rising uncontrollably as I thought of Soul dancing with another girl.

"I didn't say yes to any of them or anything. It just… wasn't that big of a deal, I guess." He paused a step in his walking and turned to me, a slightly demonic smile crossing his face. "Why would it be that important, _Maka?_"

I had this sudden sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. "Bastard," I muttered as I pushed past him towards our home.

xXoXx

"SOUL, IF YOU DON'T GET OUT OF BATHROOM IN THE NEXT THIRTY SECONDS I SWEAR YOU WILL END UP WITH A BOOK SO FAR UP YO-"

"Geez, I'm out, I'm out!" The bathroom door banged open as Soul tumbled out, still drying his unruly hair with a towel. "You already showered earlier. I dunno why you need the bathroom again… what?" he asked, finally realizing I was staring at him. I facepalmed. "What?" he asked again, growing disgruntled. "I have pants on, you know. My dress shirt is in my room."

True, Soul was shirtless, but that wasn't that big of a deal. I mean, we'd all been to the beach and I'd seen him shirtless after he showered and everything, so it wasn't like it was weird between us, but… I shook my head and went into the bathroom, waiting for him to figure it out.

"Shit." I heard his muffled expletive and the sound of swishing fabric as he realized he'd put his pants on backwards.

"Maka! I'm here!" I heard Tsubaki call out as she entered our apartment.

"Maka, I'm here too!" Liz added.

"Maka, do you have any food?" Patty chirped. I smiled to myself and called out to let them know I was there.

"Okay, so I brought my flat iron, blow dryer, curling wand, hairspray, clips, hair ties… screw it, I brought my entire bathroom." Tsubaki walked in and began to set out all of her supplies on my counter as Liz dragged Patty away from my cabinets.

"So, the boys should be here in a few minutes and we'd better all be beautiful and presentable by the time they arrive." Tsubaki reached out and snagged Liz, forcing her down into a chair so she could begin ministrations on her hair. We all worked on ourselves, chatting it up and having fun.

"Um… do you girls need anything…?" Soul asked awkwardly, hovering near the doorway and peering into the bathroom. Tsubaki had just started working on my hair.

"_Out!_" Liz hissed, fire flashing in her eyes as she slammed the door. "You're not allowed to see her until we're ready to go!"

"You idiot, that's for a wedding!" Tsubaki commented. I rolled my eyes. A loud bang sounded outside.

"PEASANTS, YOUR GOD HAS ARRIVED! BOW BEFORE ME AND-" A resounding smack echoed across the apartment and we all winced.

"Soul, please don't break my date before the dance!" Tsubaki called.

"He'll live," I heard Soul growl.

"Soul, do you know where the girl's dresses are?" Kid asked. The girls and I exchanged a mystified look (we were hearing this all through the door) before Kid oh-so-strangely clarified his statement. "I have to make sure none of them are wearing a one-shoulder dress."

"Don't worry, Kid, I only got a one-shoulder dress with an off-center bow and a thigh slit! You'll be fine!" Liz snickered before Patty angrily tugged her head back so she could continue to pin her hair. We heard some more random snippets from the boys, mostly consisting of reviving Kid, but finally pulled ourselves together enough to be completely stunning.

"BOYS, SHUT YOUR EYES OR I'LL SIC MAKA ON YOU!" Liz shrieked as we prepared to hightail it to my room to get changed.

"AND THEN I'LL DRAW GIRAFFES ON YOU!" Patty added. We heard a few gasps of mock horror before Liz cracked the door open and peered out.

"Alright, the coast is clear! RUN!" She said, pushing the door fully open and sprinting to my room. We were all giggling uncontrollably at the sight of all of the guys hanging around the kitchen, frozen with their eyes screwed shut. Soul was leaning against the counter with Black*Star sitting on Kid's back. Kid was still passed out on the floor, whimpering, and Crona was sitting on the counter while looking extremely uncomfortable. As usual.

"Should we leave them with their eyes shut for a while?" I sniggered maliciously.

Tsubaki rolled her eyes. "Boys, you're all good now!" I stuck my tongue out at her and began to change, the rest of the girls following suit. We heard the boys stop in Soul's room to grab their jackets and have Kid fix their symmetry, and then we strapped on our crazily-high heels and prepared to bask in the unfiltered admiration of our dates.

Patty stepped out first, uncharacteristically shy, followed by a blushing Liz, a radiant Tsubaki, and a nervous me.

Poor Crona. He never even knew what hit him. He looked up and caught sight of her sweeping gracefully into the room and blushed so hard I thought he might have stopped breathing. He finally pulled in a strangled gasp before slowly sliding off the counter and crossing over to Patty, gently grasping her hand. "You look… stunning. Absolutely gorgeous," he murmured. For once lost for words, Patty merely smiled.

Around our apartment, the couples were having similar moments. Kid was all teary-eyed over Liz's symmetry (I think he said she looked amazing, too, because otherwise he probably wouldn't be conscious) while Black*Star had stopped preaching about how divine he was and was finally realizing that Tsubaki was beautiful enough to be a goddess.

And Soul, the prince charming of my dreams, saw me as a princess for the first time.

I walked out into the main area of our apartment, keeping my eyes on my friends and not him because I knew I'd start shaking. My eyes slowly traveled over to him. He was watching me, his expression unreadable. He stood up from where he had been leaning against the counter and crossed the room. All of our friends paused for a second and watched us as Soul firmly took my chin in his hands, leaned down, and kissed me.

Just like that.

He leaned back slowly as I clapped my hands to my mouth, frozen in utter shock.

"What… what was that?" I whispered, breathless with my heart racing.

"I believe they call it a 'kiss', but I'm not sure if I'm pronouncing that right. I'll get back to you," he said smugly.

"Smartass," I said before putting my arms around his neck and kissing him again.

The rest of our friends let out little whistles before Patty turned to Crona and kissed him senseless. Kid looked at Liz speculatively out of the corner of his eyes before putting her back to the counter and giving her a kiss as well.

"Hey Tsubaki," Black*Star said, watching the utterly sappy kiss-fest happening around him.

"Y-yes?" she stammered, already blushing like crazy.

"Wanna make out?"

**There! Fluffy kisses! And finally some romance!**

**Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed, and please continue to do so! Reviews are the best!**

**Okay, the end of this story is _relatively_ soon. I'm thinking of making it about 20 chapters, and after that I'd like to write a NaLu story but I don;t think I can manage more than one at the same time. Wish me luck! Thanks for bearing with my extended (and completely inexcusable) absence...**


	11. Chapter 11

Still Healing - Chapter 11

**So, holy crap. I just realized that through ELEVEN FREAKIN CHAPTERS I never noticed that the fanfic doc manager wasn't importing my page breaks. Eleven chapters. Of mistakes. GRAHHHHHHHH! ANGER! Anyway, I'm fixing it right now so the page breaks are in there. I'm really sorry about that, it must have seemed like I can't grammar to you guys. Not to mention making the story confusing! Sorry!**

"So yeah, there was kissing. Yep. A lot of kissing." Tsubaki and Liz nodded in affirmation while Patty smiled sheepishly. I was recounting our 'little adventure' to Kim and Jacqueline at the winter dance.

"So Soul just walked up…" Kim began.

"...And kissed you?" Jacqueline finished, looking awestruck.

"Uh-huh. And then we break apart, I kiss him, yada yada yada, and I look out at the faces of my friends, and Patty's kissing Crona, Liz and Kid are gettin' it on, and Black*Star and Tsubaki are suckin face. It was priceless!"

"Are you guys a couple now?" Kim asked.

"I'd like to think so, but I'm not really sure," I said thoughtfully.

"Well, he did kiss you. Generally people who are concerned with only friendship don't share kisses." Jacquelin added. I nodded and smiled, secretly pleased.

"Excuse me, ladies, but I believe somebody would like to dance," Soul's deep voice sounded right behind me, making me jump a little. He took my hand and led me away from the group and into the center of the floor, with me casting a triumphant glance back at my friends.

"I thought you wouldn't want to dance," I confessed as Soul took my hand and put his other hand on my waist.

"Nah, dancing's cool if I get to dance with such a beautiful girl," he deadpanned. I blushed. We spun around for a while, enjoying the lights and each other's company now that our feelings were _finally_ out in the open. Mostly.

"May I cut in?" Kid came and tapped Soul on the shoulder. Soul graciously bowed to me, kissed my hand, and walked off to dance with Liz. Kid and I had been friends forever so it was also fun to dance with him. It reminded me of when we were kids.

"You look stunning tonight, Maka. And I'm very happy that you and him…" he trailed off then smiled, a bit of an embarrassed blush coloring his cheeks.

"Yeah, I understand. You too, Kid," I smiled back. We shared a moment of tense laughter until I was passed to Black*Star and Crona.

"Are you enjoying yourself, Crona?" I asked, always mindful of how nervous he always was.

"Actually, I am," he said quietly. "I've never been so… happy, I guess." I pressed him into a quick hug.

"Well, I'm glad." I put on a mock stern expression. "You treat Patty right, got it? She's very taken with you."

"And I with her," he commented, a _real_ smile lighting up his face.

Suddenly I felt something on my back. Somebody traced five lines on my back.

Five tally marks.

Five scars.

Five seconds for my heart to stop.

I froze, my entire body going ice-cold as my mouth went dry. Crona felt me stiffen and immediately stopped, peering into my eyes.

"Maka?" he asked. His concerned face was the last thing I saw before the floor rushed up to meet me and blackness enveloped me in a soft wave.

xXoXx

"What the hell happened, Crona?!"

The first thing I heard was Soul's voice, loud and angry with concern. My vision slowly came back to see Soul and Crona on their knees next to me. I was on the ground.

_Wait, what happened?_ I thought, groggily sitting up. Soul's demeanor instantly changed.

"Maka, thank god you're awake. Are you alright?" He reached towards me as if he was going to stroke my cheek, but I suddenly jerked my eyes to meet his, panic right beneath the surface.

"Maka…?" Soul questioned, his hand frozen in midair.

"Oh, god Soul, he was _here_," I whispered. "He was here."

Soul's eyes remained blank and uncomprehending for a moment before suddenly clearing to reveal cold, dark anger and a touch of fear. The school's ballroom, which had seemed so warm and inviting before, was suddenly filled with shadowed faces and darkened corners. People seemed to flit in and out of the corners of my vision like flickering shadows and I hugged my arms around myself, trying to disappear.

"Maka, I think we should go," Soul said quietly as his eyes scanned the room. He scooped me up bridal-style and carried me out of the room.

"Wait, Soul! Wait!" I suddenly cried as we entered the hallway.

"What is it?" He froze immediately. I twisted in his arms and he gently set me down on my feet, waiting for me to get my balance.

"I'm done," I said simply. "I'm done with him still controlling my life even though this happened years ago. I'm just so… done."

"But Maka, _he_'s in there…"

"Asura. I'm not going to give that bastard the satisfaction of making me scared of merely his name." I glared at Soul. "You listen here. You and I are going to go back into that ballroom and we are going to dance, stuff our faces with food, and then dance some more. And then we are going to hang out with out friends, and only after that will we hurry home and lock the doors. Understand?"

"Can I get a kiss first?" Soul asked shyly.

"Idiot," I murmured as I locked my arms behind his neck and brought his lips to meet mine.

Nobody made a big deal about us coming back into the ballroom, though Liz was giving me the _you'd better spill it later_ look. We danced like crazy and, true to my plan, stuffed ourselves full of food then left it all on the floor. _Asura_ was all but forgotten. The night was a fairytale.

Damn fairy tales for having bad guys.

xXoXx

"Bye Tsubaki! Don't stay up too late, and remember what I said about being responsible! Children can wait until after you're married, alright?" Liz called, cackling, as we dropped Black*Star and Tsubaki off at their apartment. I smacked her in the back of the head and she sat down, rolling up the window while still laughing.

"I swear Liz, if you screw up their relationship I will personally come to your wedding and eat all the cake while you're walking down the aisle," I grumbled. Liz suddenly stopped laughing as a dangerous gleam entered her eyes.

"Oh, you will? Then you'd better hope you _never_ get married, sister, cuz revenge is a bitch."

"Please refrain from messing up our wedding day, Liz. I promise I'll try and control her on yours," Soul said from the drivers seat.

Liz and I traded insults and revenge plans until we dropped her, Patty, Crona, and Kid off at Kid's house and headed home. It wasn't until I was out of my dress and in my bed, wrapped in Soul's arms, that it finally registered in my head Soul had said _our_ wedding.

"God Soul, if you only knew how much I loved you," I whispered into the darkness.

"That's a relief," came the barely audible reply.

"Shi- You were awake?" I scrambled, my face turning beet red.

"Yeah," he murmured drowsily. "Hey Maka?"

"W-What?" I stuttered in chagrin.

"I love you too, ya know."

"That's a relief," I quipped, smiling through my embarrassment.

xXoXx

Soul was late.

No matter which way you looked at it, he was _late_.

Soul had a job downtown that he worked after school on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, but he was _always_ back by six. ALWAYS.

It was 7:30.

I nervously fingered my car keys, wondering if I should drive to his workplace and look for him. The phone rang, but it was a number I didn't recognize so I didn't answer it. The dance was last week. There had been no other signs of Asura. Everything had been _ordinary_ up until now.

Finally I decided to call around a bit.

"Tsubaki! Have you heard anything from Soul?" I said as soon as she picked up, not bothering with greetings.

"What? No, I haven't. Last time I saw him was in English. Why?"

"He's not home yet from work. Tsubaki, he's never late." Fear crept into my voice.

"I'm sure he's fine, Maka. It's probably nothing," Tsubaki soothed.

"Yeah, probably. 'Bye." I hung up without waiting for a reply. I waited a few more minutes, ignoring another phone call from the same number as earlier, before calling Kid, Liz, Patty, and even Crona. Eventually I just called the music shop where he worked.

"Hello, welcome to Red Demon Records, how may I help you?" A nasal voice sounded from the other side of the line.

"Yeah, hi. I'm Maka Albarn, Soul Eater's roommate. I was just calling to check if he had left work already?"

"Soul? He left at 5:45 like he normally does. Why, is something wrong?"

"He just isn't home yet, and it's a little unusual. Did he say anything odd, or do anything out of the ordinary?"

"No, nothing unusual. It _is_ odd that he didn't go straight home. He always says he goes straight home because his girlfriend's waiting for him."

Damn him. I felt myself blushing.

"Okay, thanks anyway."

"No problem. Hope you find him."

And that was it.

I threw the phone at the couch, feeling slightly better as it collided with the upholstery with a smack and fell down onto the cushions. Suddenly it rang again, with the same number as before. I grabbed it and angrily pressed the 'talk' button.

"WHAT?" I nearly shouted into the receiver.

"O-oh. Um, is this Maka Albarn?" A timid voice asked.

"Who's asking?" I snarled, irrationally irritated.

"Um, this is Death City hospital. I'm calling in regards to your roommate, Soul Eater?" The voice seemed to get smaller and smaller.

My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach.

"H-Hospital?" I whispered.

"Yes, your friend has been admitted. You're listed as his primary emergency contact."

"Why was he admitted?" My voice cracked through my throat which was suddenly as dry as a desert.

"It seems your friend was the victim of a random stabbing. He was in surgery but he's out of immediate danger and he should recover with no serious complications, but the police may want to talk to you and he's been asking for you."

**...**


	12. Chapter 12

Still Healing - Chapter 12

**First of all, there's a huge time skip in here. Sorry, I ran out of inspiration and really wanted to post this so I just skipped a part. It's not important to the plot, so it doesn't affect anything, but I'm sorry about it.**

**Oh, and one more thing! I'm a horrendously erratic writer and don't use beta readers, rough drafts, or outlines (I type it, spell-check it, then post it) BUT my brother has read every single chapter I have posted and (1) supported me though the fanfic adventure (2) helped me with plot (3) suggested lines and (4) alerted me to issues INCLUDING the page break issue I'd like to never mention again. BIG THANKS TO HIM!**

**A/N: Fixed a few spelling errors, sorry about that ;)**

I took a deep breath before entering the hospital room. My hands were shaking like crazy. I contemplated just walking in, but decided against it at the last second and knocked.

"Come in," Soul's familiar voice called. I unconsciously relaxed a bit and slowly opened the door. Soul was laying in the hospital bed, wearing a button down shirt and half-concealed by a white sheet. His left hand was attached to an IV drip.

The stark white background seemed to frame his crimson eyes, making me notice them even more so as they lit up when I walked into the room.

"Maka!" He said, immediately sitting up and then immediately wincing, his unattached hand going his stomach. My hand fluttered up to my mouth as I struggled to keep in a choked sob. He noticed my expression and smiled, though it seemed a little strained.

"I'm sorry I didn't get here earlier…" I whispered.

"Nah, that's fine. I told the nurse you probably wouldn't answer on the first call since you wouldn't recognize the number."

"I should have though. The moment you were late, I should have answered the phone."

Soul shifted uncomfortably. "Actually, it wouldn't have made much difference. I was being stitched up earlier and only woke up a bit ago."

Another knock sounded at the door.

"Come in!" We both called simultaneously.

"Just invite people in, Maka," Soul muttered, giving me a good-natured glare.

A nurse walked in and checked Soul's IV, flushing it with a solution before injecting something into it. Soul twitched a bit but other than that, everything proceeded without a hitch.

"Alright, the doctor will be in in just a few minutes to check your stitches. Do you need help getting your shirt off?" The nurse asked, disposing of the syringe and washing her hands.

"No, thanks," Soul smiled at her then turned his attention back to me as the nurse left.

"Soul," I began.

"Yes?" He looked at me.

"Strip." I deadpanned.

He smiled the kind of smile that made my knees go weak then brought his hands up to the top button, but flinched and dropped them. Gritting his teeth, he reached up again, but this time his hands were stopped mine as I gently laid his hands in his lap.

"Idiot. If you need help, say so."

"Sorry. It just hurts."

"Then _say so_. What am I here for?"

"To kiss me goodnight?" Soul asked hopefully.

"To help you."

He sighed.

"Though if you behave, maybe I'll kiss you."

He smiled. I undid the top button, then the next, and then I started seeing the bandages. All the way up on his shoulder.

"God Soul! What happened?" My hands were shaking again.

"Well, I left work, and I was walking to where I normally kept my motorcycle when suddenly this bastard crashed into me. And next thing I know, I'm on the ground with a knife wound and he's running away."

"He only barely missed your heart!" I hissed.

"Um… Actually, the stab wound is lower. That's the knife wound."

"There's _multiple?_" I asked, suddenly frantically undoing the buttons and pulling his shirt open. A large white bandage spread from his left shoulder nearly down to his waistband. His damn waistband. "Holy shit, Soul!"

"I know. But it's not as bad as it looks, I promise, and I'm not just saying that. The stab was the only deep part and they stitched that up. I can be discharged in a week as long as it doesn't get infected.

"I know you're going to say you'll stay with me so I'm going to say _go to school and get your shit done_. I'll be fine."

I glared at him. He smiled at my pissed face. "I'm staying here tonight." My tone brooked no argument.

"Fine." He was still smiling, dammit!

"Do they know who did it?" I asked.

"Nope. I gave them the best description I could, but the guy had his face covered and was wearing a hat so it won't be much help. They're labeling it a random stabbing."

I mused over that for a while. "How weird," I muttered. "Oh, I brought a few things." Walking over to a chair, I dropped the backpack I had been holding and unzipped the top pocket. "Here - I've got a fresh shirt and pants, plus I brought your toothbrush and toothpaste. I also brought UNO and a deck of cards."

"Wow, thanks! Wanna play some?" He asked, pressing the button on the hospital bed to make it sit up.

"Sure!" I dealt out the UNO cards and we played about half a game before the doctor came to check his stitches. Resuming our game, I beat him once but he insisted on a rematch and then he beat me so we were even. After that, he put a movie on the TV and I pulled up a chair next to the hospital bed. Obviously we couldn't sleep together like we usually did, so I settled for just holding his hand as we both dozed off.

xXoXx

"Welcome back, Soul!" Liz yelled as we entered the apartment.

"Soul!" Tsubaki exclaimed, exiting the kitchen to give him a careful hug. "We're so glad you're back. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. What's all this?" Soul asked, indicating the cake that was sitting on the counter that read _Welcome Home Soul_.

"We wanted to welcome you back!" Patty squealed. "We're so glad you're okay!"

"Aww, thanks guys!" Soul said, blushing adorably.

"SOUL! YOUR GOD IS-"

_Smack._

"Yep, he's feeling better," Kid chuckled. "Good to see you alive and kickin', man," he said, slapping Soul (gently) on the back. Tsubaki handed out cups of soda and cut the cake, giving Black*Star the smallest piece.

"HEY! THIS PORTION IS TOO SMALL FOR A GOD!" He yelled when Tsubaki handed him the plate.

"Black*Star, the last time we gave you cake you broke a window. The only reason you're getting a piece now is because we're _celebrating_," I hissed after throwing a book at his head.

Soul and Liz laughed while Kid grabbed the book and handed it back to me. We ended up playing Mario Kart as a group, wtih Black*Star winning and Soul as a close second. Crona was surprisingly good at it and came in third, even with it being his first time playing. Eventually Soul and I oh-so-gently kicked them out of our house so Soul could rest on his first night out of the hospital. His knife wound had mostly healed, but the stab wound was still on its way and gave him trouble if he moved around too much.

It felt so good to be able to spend the night in my own bed with Soul - I had spent every night at the hospital, of course. He was _home_, and not just in a physical sense. Everything about Soul had become my home.

In the morning, I made pancakes. Soul stumbled in, still groggy from sleep, and put his arms around me from behind.

"W-What are you doing?" I stuttered, a deep blush staining my cheeks.

"Remember the morning I made pancakes?" Soul asked, resting his chin on the top of my head.

"Of course. It was the first time I missed school," I said, trying to focus on making the fluffy evil cakes. Soul was being _very_ distracting.

"I like to remember it more as our first date," Soul mused.

"O-Our first date?" Soul had now moved on to letting his breath tickle my ear. I shivered and focused on keeping my breathing even.

"Tsubaki, Liz, and Patty already thought we were dating," Soul chuckled. "Hey Maka?"

"Yes?" I asked, slightly breathless. The pancakes were laughing at me.

"Do you ever want to get married?"

_Umm..._That drew me up short. "Are you talking about marrying you or just getting married in general?"

"Yes," he responded.

_Smug bastard_, I thought. "Yes," I responded a trifle vindictively.

"Hmm..." Soul hummed. "You know, Maka, you can be very exasperating." And with that, he turned me around and we kissed. A lot. I put my arms around his neck and he spun me around so my back was to the counter.

"Shit," I muttered in between kisses.

"What?" Soul whispered.

"We burned the pancakes," I said, smelling it in the air.

"That's okay. They don't mind," he said.

"I swear, Soul, you're going to burn down the apartment," I accused, gently disengaging his arms and taking the pancakes off the griddle.

"You're no fun," Soul pouted as he opened the fridge and took out the syrup.

"Burning down the apartment is fun?"

"It is as long as I get to keep kissing you," he smirked.

"Since when have you been this hopeless romantic?" I asked as I carried the pancakes (including three burnt ones) to the table.

"Dunno," he said, giving me a light kiss on the cheek as he passed by. "Having a girlfriend is cool, I guess."

I rolled my eyes and went to grab some glasses for orange juice, but one slipped out of my fingers and shattered on the ground. "Crap!" I ground out through clenched teeth.

"What is it? Are you okay?" Soul called before suddenly appearing at the doorway.

"Yeah, it's fine, I just broke a glass," I said, still rather irritated. "Where do we have the extra glasses?"

"You can always get it later, you know," Soul said, smirking at the mess I'd made.

"Yeah, well, you and I both know if I don't get it now I will never get it, and then Kid will find out our glasses are asymmetrically arranged in out cabinet. Both you and I do _not_ want that."

"They're on the top shelf of my closet. I'll clean this up." Soul said nervously as he began to look around for a dustpan and broom. Opening the closet after entering his room, I reached up for a sealed cardboard box and succeeded in knocking down two other boxes as well.

"Wait! Maka!" I heard Soul yell, his voice suddenly laced with fear and panic.

"Ow," I murmured, rubbing my head where one of the boxes had hit me on its way down. I looked by my feet and saw a creamy white envelope with spidery script reading _Soul Eater_.

I knew that handwriting.

My bare feet were half-buried in identical white envelopes, all of them bearing the same script and title. Even more of the same papers were spilling out of one of the boxes I had knocked down.

"Shit!" I heard Soul say a second before I lunged for the door, closing it and locking it at the same time. He began to pound on the door, but I wedged a chair underneath the doorknob like I'd seen people do in movies.

"Maka, open the door this instant!" he yelled.

"I can't, there's a chair holding it!" I yelled back.

"Then move the damn chair!" he all but screamed.

"I can't, there's a door holding it!" I snickered.

"Maka, don't read them!" Soul pleaded.

"Don't you think I deserve to know when he's coming?" I asked, still chuckling. Suddenly this situation was hilarious.

There was a long pause from outside as Soul listened to me laugh. I sat down on the chair that was currently keeping him out and opened the first envelope my fingers touched.

_Soul Eater,_

_You'll note I did not start my letter with 'Dear Soul Eater' once again. You are not dear to Maka. No matter what she says or does or if you delude yourself into thinking she kisses you back, you are _wrong._ Maka is dear to me and I to her, and you have no right to interfere with us._

_I have seen that you are out looking for her - quite dedicated, you are! Unfortunately, I have not been able to find here either. Of course, I will not inform you when I do, but that's beside the point. I was so close to visiting you, too! I know you are probably anxious to meet the one who holds Maka's heart, but since she left, I see no advantage to killing you. Unnecessary complications. I'm sure you understand._

_I would very much appreciate it if you'd let me know if you find her, but I'd rather not give you a way to contact me and I'll find out soon enough. Don't worry, she'll be safe with me._

_For now,_

_Asura Kishin_

"These are great!" I giggled. "He's such a bastard. Freakin stalker."

"Maka, are you alright?" I heard Soul ask. He sounded so concerned.

"No, no, I'm fine! I'm perfectly fine! And these letters… just the freakin cherry on top! Did you know this one says he'll kill you? Such a bastard, he is..." I said as I opened another envelope. "But the other one I read said he wouldn't, because I left. Does he have mood swings or what?"

No answer. Ah, well, there's always more reading to do.

The letters were filled with crazy shit like me loving Asura, Asura killing Soul, Asura returning. And I decided right there I wasn't going to run from the bastard. I was going to welcome him with open arms and plunge something sharp right into his chest. And he was never going to touch Soul. _Ever_.

At last I found the most recent letter - they were all dated in the corner. It was written four days ago.

_Soul Eater. _

_I know she's back and I know you are so-called 'together'. I'll give you a week to leave. I'm sure you know what will happen if you don't. You should know, after how much we've talked, I won't permit another to touch her. _

_I feel no need to sign this. You know who I am. _

I went back over the letters, almost trying to deny what the last one said. There were so many - it seemed like Asura wrote to Soul just for the hell of it, since he even wrote to him while I was gone.

So this is why Soul hid the mail.

**...**


	13. Chapter 13

Still Healing - Chapter 13

**Hello again! I actually don't know when I last posted, but I feel like it was a long time. Sorry about that.**

**And sorry for how narrative-intensive this chapter is -_-;**

**And sorry about the typo in the middle. It is now fixed.**

All of a sudden, Soul's voice was back.

"Maka? Are you alright?" He asked tentatively.

"Fine, just fine," I sighed. "I promise, Soul. I promise he won't touch you."

"Ugh, you _idiot!_ It's not me I'm worried about!" I heard a muffled bang as he hit his head against the door. "I don't want to let him touch _you!_"

"I don't deserve someone as loyal as you," I murmured.

"Stop talking like that!"

"It's true! But don't worry, you've spoiled me too much. I won't leave again. I'm too used to peaceful sleep, faithful friends, and a safe home."

"...you don't seem alright."

"Well DUH, no _shit_, Soul! Holy crap, how could anybody be alright in this situation?"

Just then, I heard a clicking sound from Soul's window.

"SWEET! THIS GOD ROCKS!" Black*Star screeched as he fell through the now-open window. I stood up from the chair that was blocking the door, the letters in my hand falling to the ground in shock.

"_Black*Star?_" I asked incredulously.

"ALRIGHT, WHERE IS HE?" Black*Star yelled, pulling a dagger - what the heck? - from his belt and holding it in front of him. He looked like he knew how to use it.

"Who? Sorry, what? _Black*Star?_" I stared. Our window was thirteen stories up a flat wall with only an inch-thick windowsill and no fire escape. _How the hell did _that _idiot manage to get up here?_

"Soul called me and said you were in trouble," Black*Star explained. There was something cold and hard in his eyes I had never seen before.

"Oh. I'm not in physical danger," _Not yet anyway,_ I mentally added, "I just found some rather disturbing letters, and lost it a little bit… okay, correction, I lost it a lot," I explained, remembering my psychotic giggles earlier.

Without any change in expression, Black*Star threw his dagger. I watched it spin through the air before it speared the letter that, up until a few milliseconds ago, was in my hand. My mouth agape, I turned slowly to look at the dagger that was now embedded - and still stuck through the letter - on Soul's door.

"Black*Star! _Oh my god, what is with you people?!_ You can't kill a letter! And stop ruining our doors!" I said angrily, the practical side of me emerging from my screwed up mind.

"Black*Star! Move the damn chair!" Soul called. He sounded exhausted.

"DO NOT ORDER YOUR GOD AROUND! BOW BEFO-"

"OPEN THE DAMN DOOR SO I CAN KICK YOUR ASS, YOU MANIAC!" Soul yelled. Wow.

"YOU FOOL! HOW DARE YOU-"

"Black*Star, please open the door! I'm worried about Maka!" Tsubaki called. Wait, Tsubaki was here?

Before my astounded eyes, Black*Star kicked the chair out of the way and flung the door open with a simple 'okay' in response to his girlfriend. _Holy crap, how does she do that? Maybe she can teach me!_

"Maka!" Tsubaki exclaimed as she hurried through the door to hug me. Soul was right behind her.

"Hehe, sorry about your door," I chuckled sheepishly as Soul stared at the dagger. "Um… Black*Star did it!"

"Maka, what the hell were you thinking? How could you read those?" Soul accused.

"How could I _not?_ Seriously! How could _you_ keep something so important from me?"

"I did it to protect you!

"I read them to protect you!"

"That makes no sense!"

"So, were you just planning on me coming home in three days to find your bloody corpse strewn across the living room?" Soul flinched. "Yeah, 'cause that's _really_ protecting my fragile mental state. Not to mention, then I'll be at the mercy of Asura! I'm sure _that's_ good for my health," I snapped.

"Maka…" Tsubaki said quietly.

"What?!"

"What's going on? Why would you be in danger? Who are the letters from? _What aren't you telling us?_" She asked with surprising intensity.

"Oh, is that all?" I joked tiredly. "Well, let's see now. My abusive boyfriend from the past has found me and apparently had been stalking us - did I mention he wanted to kill Soul? - oh! and he's given Soul three days to leave before he comes here. I think that's it." I turned to Soul. "Did I forget anything? No? Good," I huffed as I walked over to the couch and collapsed into it, putting my head in my hands. Soul came to sit next to me and laid a comforting arm around my shoulders.

"So what're we going to do about it?" Tsubaki asked after an uncomfortable silence.

"Nothing. Soul and I can handle it, I promise. I know you want to help and all, but it's bad enough I got Soul dragged into this."

"Maka-" Black*Star began.

"Black*Star, I swear, if you get in my way, I will personally ensure that nobody ever worships you for the rest of your life."

"Ouch, Maka, that's harsh," he complained.

"All's fair in gods and past boyfriends. Except I intend to play dirty."

"Hell yes," Soul growled.

xXoXx

-Asura Countdown Clock: 2 Days Until Arrival-

I don't know, but it seemed like the world shouldn't be so happy. It should be dark and dreary and gray, not sunny and bright and happy. I kept looking over my shoulder as if expecting him- _Asura_ to appear behind me. I longed to run up every person I saw and shake them, screaming at them to run and hide and get somewhere safe because the boogeyman is coming, but if I tried that I'd probably get a restraining order.

Soul and I woke up. I poured cereal for the two of us, but we just sat at the table staring at the bowls. Eventually it grew too soggy to eat so we just threw it out. Soul and I never parted, not even for a moment - yes, showering was awkward. While the other was in the shower, whoever was left did their morning stuff. Then we switched (which involved a lot of back-turning and towels).

Soul drove us to school on his motorcycle. I held tight to him. What if this was the last full day we'd ever spend together? I mean, we still had tomorrow, but it's not like I trust Asura not to cheat or anything.

"Hey Maka?" Soul called over the roar of his bike.

"Hey what?" I called back.

"Do you think we should take _that_ day off?"

I knew what day he was talking about immediately. "Yeah, probably. I really don't want Asura coming to school, nor do I want to be separated from you."

"Same," he said calmly.

We arrived at school and, after parking his precious bike of course, we got to our first class early. Luck was with us (weird, seemed like she was taking a damn vacation at the moment) and Professor Sid was in the room early.

"Professor!" Soul called after dumping his books on a table.

"Yes, what is it?" the professor said as he turned to look at us.

"I just wanted to let you know that both Maka and I will be absent the day after tomorrow."

Professor Sid gave him a very pointed look. "Mister Eater, I would really prefer it if you and your girlfriend took care of those kinds of activities outside of the school day, thank you very much."

After exchanging a horrified glance and blushing furiously, both of us responded at the same time. "That's not why we're going to be gone!"

"Really?" Professor Sid looked surprised.

"Yeah! I… um… have to go back to the hospital for a checkup and to get a different kind of stitches, then I'm on bedrest!" Soul lied quickly, his cheeks nearly matching his eyes.

"And I- my grandmother died!" I burst out.

"Oh. Oh! Um… sorry about that… of course you can be excused, pardon my earlier remark," our professor said, looking nearly as embarrassed as we felt.

"Thanks," Soul said with a touch of sarcasm as he pulled me back to our seats.

"That was… horrifying," I muttered.

"You can say that again," Soul agreed. "You don't think the teachers talk about their students and their relationships, do you?"

I took one look at Professor Sid. "Definitely."

"Oh god."

"Yep."

Our mortification party was interrupted by Tsubaki and then Black*Star, who seemed to interrupt everything he passed by. The day proceeded as normal. Soul and I parted at Biology, our last class, and I promised we'd meet inside of the school before heading home.

Of course, I was terrified the moment he was out of my sight. Class was about to start, but I reached for every shred of acting skill I possessed and hobbled down to Mr. Stein's desk, dragging my feet and clutching my stomach.

"Mr. Stein?" I croaked.

"Do you need a hall pass?" He asked immediately, glasses flashing.

"Yes, please," I whispered miserably. He wrote me the pass but his eyes never left me - I had the strange feeling he knew I was acting, but let me go anyway.

The moment I was out of the classroom, I began to sprint to the other end of the building. I wasn't looking where I was going, so of course I crashed into somebody. I was knocked to my feet by the force of our collision.

"Ow!" I hissed as I fell. "Ow, ow, ow! Sorry," I muttered, looking at the person I crashed into.

"Where were you running to?" Soul's deep voice said. I could hear a chuckle in his words.

"Soul!" I gasped in astonishment. I stood up and helped him up. "What are you doing out here?"

He flashed a hall pass in front of my face. "I don't know. I was in class when suddenly I was struck with these really bad stomach pains. The teach was kind enough to give me this hall pass, but the funny thing is the moment I left the classroom I felt better!" He grinned at me.

"Oh, really?" I played along. "That's so strange! I had the exact same thing!"

"Are you sure you're alright?" Soul asked in mock concern, struggling to keep in a laugh. "I think you'd better stay out of that classroom, just in case."

"You too! If you're sick, you wouldn't want to spread it around!"

That did it. We both burst into gales of helpless laughter before ditching school and heading home to do whatever the hell we felt like.

xXoXx

-Asura Countdown Clock: 1 Day Until Arrival-

Waking up in the morning felt like living a lie. Get up. Go to school. Ditch biology. Go home. Check over your shoulder. Go shopping. Make sure the motorcycle wasn't followed. Hold Soul's hand. Buy extra locks and deadbolts. Kiss Soul. Kiss Soul. Kiss Sou- wait, what?

At school we had to act normal. We laughed and joked around, but any moment Soul and I had to ourselves we just stared into each other's eyes like it was the last day we'd ever spend together. Oh, wait.

-Asura Countdown Clock: 7 Hours Until Day of Arrival-

After school, I went shopping with Soul for dinner. I guess I decided to unconsciously make a really nice dinner, just in case. Soul and I drove around for a bit too, but eventually it got too depressing.

When we got back to our apartment, I suddenly had a great idea.

"Soul! Do you want to invite all our friends over for dinner tonight?"

"Yeah, sure," he agreed. "It'd be nice to see them all…"

"Yeah." God, I was so _pissed_ at Asura! He was such a conversation damper!

-Asura Countdown Clock: 6 Hours Until Day of Arrival-

"We're here!" Liz nearly screamed from the door.

"Yeah, well we're in the kitchen which is _right freakin next to you_ so you don't need to shout!" I yelled back.

"Note to self: do not piss off Maka right now," Kid smiled as he set his coat down. I gave him an icy look before hefting a book and letting it fly towards the front door. Kid flinched, but the book went way over his head.

"Maka, are you feeling alright? I've never seen you miss," Kid smirked. I sighed.

"Thanks, Maka!" Tsubaki said cheerfully from beside Black*Star's limp body.

"Oh, Kid? I never miss," I smirked back. Kid swallowed hard.

"Where's the idiot?" Soul called from the dining room where he was setting the table.

"He's here," Kid responded nervously.

"Really? Normally you hear him come in."

"Yeah, well, Maka had a book."

Silence.

"Ah. I see," came Soul's careful reply.

**Hahahahaha I'm leaving it there :} Next chapter shall feature a beautiful section of SoMa fluff before we get down to HOLY SHIT ASURA'S HERE.**

**Enjoy that teaser.**

**R&R! Reviews actually do make me update faster! AND THANK YOU TO THOSE WHO HAVE REVIEWED AND STUCK BY MY FIRST FANFIC!**


	14. Chapter 14

Still Healing - Chapter 14

**Thank you to those who reviewed! It made me get in the mood for writing :)**

-Asura Countdown Clock: 5 Hours Until Day of Arrival-

"Dinner is served!" Tsubaki announced to everyone in Soul and I's apartment.

"YES!" Black*Star yelled as he vaulted over the couch and into a chair.

"Behave," Soul growled. He and Kid walked calmly, like normal people, into the dining room and took their places around the table. Liz and Patty were already seated, so Tsubaki and I took our seats as well.

"Hey guys," I began after clearing my throat uncomfortably, "Thanks a bunch for coming and for just, ya know, being here. Soul and I have no idea what's going to happen tomorrow, but-"

"Wait, what?" Kid interrupted. "What's tomorrow?"

"Maka, you didn't forget to tell Kid, did you?" Tsubaki gasped.

"And us!" Liz added, glaring dangerously.

"Oh, um, oops…Sorry, guys…" I said, chuckling sheepishly.

"_What is going on?_" Kid alternated his golden glare between Soul and I.

"Soul received a death threat for tomorrow," Black*Star explained distractedly. "Hey, is that it? Can we start eating now?"

"_No._" Liz ground out in a voice like death.

"It's this really long story, so we'll tell it while we eat, 'kay?" Soul said, watching the Thompson sisters warily.

"Food!" Patty exclaimed happily, slapping her sister on the back. "Oh, but don't think you're off the hook, you two. You know we always get answers, whether you're willing or not," the normally-childish Patty continued in an unsettling display of homicidal tendencies.

Tsubaki laughed nervously as she unearthed the feast we had cooked - steak, baked potatoes, fruit salad, and bread rolls. It almost felt like Thanksgiving dinner, minus the turkey.

"Wow, Maka this is really impressive!" Kid said, his fingers twitching.

"Fix your own plate," Liz chided him as she recognized his urge to make everything on the table symmetrical.

And thus dinner ensued with (relatively) little destruction as Soul and I proceeded to explain our situation to Kid, Liz, and Patty and Black*Star proceeded to stuff his face with food. Our friends protested vehemently when we told them, very politely I might add, that we could handle our own assholes and we didn't want any help. _That_ went well.

Eventually they calmed down and promised to stay out of our way, but not before we made contingency plans mostly involving the 'super assassin' kidnapping three of our _dear, valuable_ friends.

-Asura Countdown Clock: 4 Hours Until Day of Arrival-

"We really love you guys," I said, choking up.

"Aww, thanks Maka! We love yo-" Kid began fondly.

"Now get out of our house." I deadpanned.

Kid rolled his eyes and hugged me tight, Liz and Patty immediately following suit. Tsubaki was rubbing her eyes as she pulled me into a deep hug. Black*Star was uncharacteristically sober, giving me a hug as well and telling me to be careful before slapping Soul on the back and embracing him as well. Soul and Kid shared a few words as they parted, opting for a manly handshake instead. Boys.

And then, at last, we were alone.

The instant the door shut, Soul's mouth was on mine, fierce and unyielding. I laced my fingers behind his neck as he lifted me up to sit on the counter, never breaking our kiss.

"I love you so much," Soul gasped when we had a free moment.

"I love you more," I growled, drawing his lips back to mine. Soul's hand pushed the hem of my shirt up a tiny bit and he bent down, pressing a kiss to one of my scars before holding his forehead to mine.

"You are so beautiful, Maka. You're not scarred, you're stunning. No matter what happens tomorrow, I'm glad I was able to spend this time with you."

"We're going to be alright," I whispered, knowing full well there was no way I could promise that.

"I know. If not in this life, then the next. Or whatever comes after that."

"If you die, I will personally go to the gates of hell and kick your ass for dying."

He chuckled before kissing me one more time, then carried me to our bedroom as we settled down for our final sleep. After some more kissing, of course.

-Asura Countdown Clock: 15 Minutes Until Day of Arrival-

"Hey, Maka? You awake?" Soul whispered softly in the darkness.

"Yeah," I whispered back.

"It's almost midnight," he remarked emotionlessly, checking our clock.

"Yeah," I said again, feeling my eyes fill with tears. Soul pulled me into his lap and brushed the tears from my cheeks, planting a firm kiss on my lips. A silent promise.

I watched over his shoulder as the click changed to 11:53.

"He's not going to come in right at midnight, right?" I asked nervously.

"Of course not," Soul soothed. I could feel every muscle in his body tense.

"Should we get up? If I'm going to meet this bastard, I at leader want my hair up."

"I swear, Maka, you think of the weirdest things," Soul spoke to the darkness.

"Hey, a girl's gotta look good when she's kickin ass! And I want to show him I'm not some weak, pathetic shrinking violet still sniveling over him from years ago."

11:56.

"Yeah, sure. Shower or not?"

"Not. You're not leaving my sight, not even for a second."

"We could always shower together," Soul suggested, giving me a suggestive smile.

"No."

"Dang. Ah, well, worth a try," he sighed. I glared at him.

"Soul, you don't happen to have a gun, do you?"

"Geez! I was kidding!" Soul huffed, though he did give me a nervous look.

"For Asura, you idiot."

"Oh. Right." Soul flashed me a sharp grin (making me feel butterflies, of course). "No, I don't have a gun, sorry."

11:58.

"Ah, well, worth a try," I sighed. Standing up, I picked out a long sleeve shirt and skinny jeans, as well as my ever-present boots. I didn't want to wear any thing extra that might impede my movement if I needed to, I don't know, commit murder in my living room.

11:59.

I turned to stare at the clock, tugging my shirt over my head and fixing my hair into pigtails to keep it out of my face. Soul came to stand behind me and put his arm around my shoulders. He hugged me close as we watched the red numbers on the clock.

12:00

-Asura's Day of Arrival-

Soul let out an explosive breath right next to me, making my high-strung body jump.

"Alright, we have successfully survived thirty seconds of doomsday!" He joked. I couldn't help but smile back, but it was more of a grimace than a grin.

"Yep, the next twenty-three hours, fifty-nine minutes and thirty seconds should be a breeze then," I chuckled. It wasn't really funny but who cares?

"We locked the windows and the door, right?"

"Of course," I scoffed. "We're being stalked, not stupid."

Soul echoed my humorless chuckle before sighing. "I'm never going to stay awake. We're going to be up for a full twenty-four hours on only three hours of sleep."

"Don't worry. I came prepared," I grinned as I dug through the bottom of my closet to reveal a bulk-size package of energy drinks.

"Holy crap! Since when did you allow me to have energy drinks again?" Soul exclaimed, staring wide-eyed at the vicious little demon bottles.

"Um, since two seconds ago. They're for later, when you get tired! Not now! And after that, I'm cutting you off again. I don't want a repeat of last time," I shuddered.

Soul scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "Hey, it couldn't have been that bad…"

I arched one eyebrow scathingly. "You put a hole in the wall, threw a chair out a window, decided to take me on a motorcycle ride, nearly killed me, and then, _and then,_ you screeched - not drove - your bike to Black*Star's house. _And you gave him some._ As if that wasn't bad enough, when we called Liz and Patty to help us retrain you two idiots, Kid tagged along and somehow got a hold of one of the drinks and Liz actually had to use the tranquilizers the doctors gave her because Kid decided to make the walls symmetrical with a sledgehammer."

"Okay, fine! It was that bad! I'm not good with energy drinks, okay?"

"That's why _I_ get to decide when to give you one. If you're not dead tired, you're not getting any." I folded my arms across my chest and gave him a challenging stare.

"Agreed," Soul said. "You know, getting drunk off of energy drinks is totally uncool."

"Did you hear that?!" I gasped. I was positive I had just heard the soft click of a door.

"What?" Soul whispered, his voice automatically dropping low. He stood up as if he was going to go open the door, but I practically jumped on his back and we both fell onto the bed with a soft _whump_.

"Maka! What the hell are you doing?" Soul whisper-yelled.

I wrapped my arms and legs around him and used my body weight to pin him down.

"You can't go out there!" I hissed softly. "Just wait!" I held him down as we listened for homicidal maniacs, but there was no more noise.

"It was probably nothing," Soul said softly after a few minutes. He stood up - with me still clinging to his back.

"Hey! I thought you couldn't stand up!" I said in astonishment. We returned to our normal speaking volumes.

"Come on, Maka, you don't weigh that much," he scoffed.

"You let me pin you."

"Honestly, being pinned by my girlfriend isn't that bad," Soul smirked. I banged my fist into his head.

"Do you think we can leave?" I said, hugging Soul tighter.

"I don't see why not." Soul gently disengaged my appendages and set me on the ground, pressing a kiss to my forehead. Nevertheless, we opened the door cautiously and searched the apartment.

We were alone.

He and I both let out sighs of relief as we sat down on the couch. I was a little hesitant to watch TV, seeing as it was really distracting, but we _could_ see the door from the couch so I guess it was alright.

"Oh! I got something special for the occasion!" Soul said suddenly, jumping off the couch.

"What?" I asked, alarmed at his sudden fire.

"This!" he exclaimed triumphantly, holding up three DVDs.

"Yes! You got the Lord of the Rings!" They were some of my favorite movies, but I hadn't seen them in a while.

"Extended edition, too," Soul smirked.

"You're the best!"

"I know."

"Smug bastard."

"I know."

"Whatever. So can we watch them now?"

"That's why I got them," Soul said as he popped the Fellowship of the Ring into the DVD player.

"Leave the light on," I instructed as he came back to the couch.

"Of course," he murmured as the movie began.

One hour down, twenty-three to go.

**I don't own LOTR, but I love them. So there. Plus, they're a long trilogy and I don't feel like writing every time Maka and Soul think someone's coming through the door for twenty-three hours.**

**R&R!**

**Oh, and I think I'm making a one-shot about Soul's less-than-stellar energy drink tolerance.**


	15. Chapter 15

Still Healing - Chapter 15

**First of all, I'm sorry this took so long. School got complicated and I totally let time fly by (I honestly didn't notice a week passing).**

**Secondly, I'm sorry this is short. Chalk it up to writers block and HOLY CRAP IT'S 1 IN THE MORNING.**

**ENJOY!**

-Five Hours Later-

We were onto the Two Towers, my favorite movie out of the trilogy, when Soul began to fall asleep.

"Soul!" I said loudly, prodding his shoulder. He blinked groggily at me before letting his head fall back against the couch.

"Go away," he mumbled.

"Soul, wake up! Come on, Smeagol hasn't gotten rid of Sam yet!"

"I don't want to go to school," he growled.

"What?" I asked, mystified. "We're not going to school. We're waiting for Asura to come kill us."

"What? He's _where_?" Soul yelled as he jumped up from the couch. He whipped his head around with wild eyes. I stifled a giggle at his crazed expression.

"You were falling asleep, idiot."

"Oh. Sorry," he apologized, trying to stop a huge yawn.

"Come on man, it's not even noon!"

"I didn't get any sleep last night!" He defended.

"You didn't?" Huh. I didn't notice he wasn't asleep.

"No! I didn't trust that bastard not to sneak in while we were both asleep and kill us while we were snoring."

"I don't snore, that's you," I pointed out.

"Shut up."

"You want an energy drink?" I asked after discerning that yes, he really was tired.

"I guess," Soul agreed, coming back to sit on the couch.

"I'll be right back." I left the room to go rummage through our closet when I heard a very distinctive noise that should have been impossible.

The door opened.

"SOUL!" I screamed in terror. I tried to run to the door to warn him someone was in the apartment, but tripped over the edge of the bed and fell down. "SOUL, HE'S HERE!" There were a few muffled bangs from the living room as I scrambled to my feet and sprinted out of the room.

The TV was still playing, making the light change eerily as images flickered across the screen. A few pillows from the couch were on the ground.

Soul was half-lying, half-sitting with his back propped up against the wall. His head was slumped down, but he seemed unhurt. For now.

And leaning over him was my personal villain, the demon of my nights, my perpetual nightmare, Asura Kishin.

At first glance he was the same. He was tall and thin, with black hair that fell into his eyes. He was wearing that stupid scaf again - he always wore one no matter the season. But as I stood there, frozen in instinctual fear, I noticed he was different. He was a little taller, a little broader. He'd finally gotten that tattoo of the three eyes on his hands. HIs eyes, however - they didn't change. They were hard and cold and showed that there was really nothing behind them.

"Maka," he said in that _same_ voice. And it was suddenly seven years ago. He was here again, hurting me, insane and unstable and consumed by madness.

"Asura," I whispered.

"I've missed you so much," he purred, moving away from Soul. I instinctively backed up until my back hit the counter.

"Come now, Maka, don't run," he reprimanded me as if speaking to a child.

"Get out of here," I tried to say, but my throat was so dry it wasn't coming out.

"Maka, let's just talk," he reasoned, sweeping magnanimously down into a chair. "As much as I missed you, we really do need to discuss some things."

My throat refused to cooperate.

"Like why you left all those years ago. Maka, everything was going well! We were perfect," he sighed, shaking his head ruefully. "When did it all go wrong?"

_When you decided to use a knife,_ I wanted to say. _The moment you hurt me. The moment you came after me and hurt my friends. Any of this ringing a bell?_

"Is my appearance such a shock to you? I warned you I was coming. Speaking of, why is this _thing_ here?" He gestured to Soul's limp form.

"Because we're together," I managed to whisper.

"No, Maka." Asura's eyes were hard. "We are together. You have and will always be mine."

"No! I don't love you. I live with Soul now. You are not part of my life, and you coming here is unforgivable. I don't want you here."

"Stop mentioning him!" Asura yelled. Soul stirred behind him.

"Then leave!"

"NO! What''s wrong with us? What can I do to prove my love you you?

"Try leaving and _staying the hell away from me_," I spat.

"Don't be like that. I _love_ you. I want us to be together forever, alright?"

"No," I said.

"Maka," he growled warningly. His eyes seemed to flash red.

And I'm back, seven years ago. I'm feeling a knife cut through my life. I'm watching his eyes flash red and I'm watching the knife turn red and I'm watching me drip red and Soul's eyes are red.

His eyes are red.

His eyes are bloody crimson, the color of demons and nightmares, the color Asura's eyes turn, and they don't scare me.

They love me.

"Maka, I love you," I hear Soul say in that far-away land of reality.

"Shut up, you damn brat!" Asura yells, rising swiftly from his chair to head for Soul's struggling form. He stands up - swaying a bit - bares his teeth like an animal, and lunges for Asura.

Asura staggered back, taking the blow and shoving Soul back against the TV. It shattered against the wall into a million fragments, the sound cutting off with a screech and a crackle.

"STOP!" I screamed.

Because this was _NOT_ seven years ago. This was now. I was not dating Asura, I was in love with Soul. I was not going to sit here quietly and take it, I was going to fight back. There was blood again, but it wasn't my blood.

It was Soul's. Asura had his hands wrapped around a shard of the glass screen, the eyes on his hands seeming to blink as he raised it above his head and brought it down on Soul's leg. Soul let out a strangled yell as he shot up and punched Asura in the face.

My hands scrambled around on the counter behind me, vainly trying to grasp anything I could use as a weapon, when my fingers closed around the only thing I could find.

It was an odd object, really. It was Soul's, first of all, and it was curiously colored. The letter opener was a zig-zag pattern of red and black until it tapered into a point. A dull point, but with enough force behind it…

This was not seven years ago, because this time, _I _had the knife.

"Wait! Asura!" I yelled, hiding the letter opened behind my back. Both red-eyed guys turned to stare at me.

"I'm sorry," I said.

"Maka?" Soul asked softly, staring at me in concern.

"Asura, I'm sorry. You're right. I'll make him go away, I promise."

"Maka," Asura smiled exultantly. I extended my arms to him, inviting him to come closer and to touch me again. He smiled even wider, leaving Soul's body frozen in shock as he watched me hug my demon.

And then I winked at him from over Asura's shoulder as I stretched my arms out and drove the letter opener straight into his back. I felt him stiffen, then slide out of my arms and onto the ground. He held his hands to this chest as if he couldn't believe it was _his_ lifeblood pouring out.

"This is how much I care, Asura," I murmured detachedly. "I care too much for this life and him to allow you to be in it."

Asura gave me one last look, his eyes returning to their normal black before crumpling to the side.

"Ma...ka…" He whispered. "I… love you…"

"That isn't love." I said calmly.

And with that, Asura shuddered and died.

The whole apartment was silent for about three seconds before a knife went hurtling through the air from the doorway - about an inch from my face, mind you - and clattered against the far wall.

"WHERE'S THE BASTARD?!" Black*Star yelled as he vaulted through the door, closely followed by Tsubaki, Liz, Patty, and Kid.

"What the hell?" Soul grunted as he gingerly stood up from the shattered TV.

All of our friends were scanning around our apartment, hefting various weapons. Black*Star had more knives, while Tsubaki had a short katana.

"Wait, holy shit! Where the hell did you guys get guns?!" I screeched as Liz, Kid, and Patty entered wielding handguns (twin pistols in Kid's case, of course).

"Legally," Liz smirked.

"I doubt that," Soul grimaced. I immediately hurried to his side and helped support him.

"Is it dead?" Balck*Star asked, prodding Asura's body with his dagger.

"Ew! Don't poke it!" Tsubaki said as she relaxed after realizing the danger had passed.

"WHY ARE YOU GUYS HERE?" I yelled over my friends.

"Oh, yeah, about that…" Kid chuckled sheepishly. "We camped out in the hallway. Except we all fell asleep. And then Asura locked the door after he came in so we had to have Black*Star pick the lock when we woke up."

"Really?" I asked in surprise.

"Duh, we're your friends," Patty squealed.

"Maka!" Tsubaki called urgently. "We need to call the police! Like, _now!_"

"What? Why?" I questioned stupidly.

"Because Asura's ruining the carpet!" Tsubaki said frantically.

We all burst into laughter as she rolled her eyes and dialed the cops.

**This is NOT the last chapter! I promise! Please leave some reviews! We're nearing the end, friends. It's almost dead. Or done growing. Or whatever. I need sleep. Bye!**

**Oh, and Lillyrd? You and I were thinking pretty similarly! Weird... *checks behind self***


	16. Chapter 16

Still Healing - Chapter 16

**And the fateful last chapter. After I post it, I'm going to *le gasp* change it to COMPLETED!**

**Oh and thank you to **Ynot7 **for reminding me about Crona. WHAT? I TOTALLY DID NOT FORGET HE EXISTED IN THE LAST FEW CHAPTERS!**

"Wait, _what?_" Crona nearly yelled.

"Um, yeah..." I trailed off, looking at his outraged expression.

"What is wrong with you people?! Seriously, one moment you're all absent from school, then the next thing I know I get a call from the police asking if I could pick up my friends from the precinct. I don't know how to interact with the police!"

"Sorry 'bout that..." Soul muttered.

"That's not even what I'm angry about!" Crona yelled as he tried to both guilt trip us and drive at the same time.

"It's not?" Liz snickered.

"No, as a matter of fact it's not," Crona seethed, his shoulders shaking with the force of his rage. "You idiots were all in danger! How could I interact with _anything_ if you guys weren't around?"

"Aww, Crona!" Patty said as she reached over to grab Crona's free hand. For some reason, one of the smallest of our group got shotgun.

And yes, that was all true. Tsubaki called the cops and they took Asura's corpse away, but of course we were all taken in for extensive questioning. Luckily, because of the apartment building's security cameras, my friends' testimonies, and Asura's rather incriminating letters, my 'cold-blooded revenge murder' was labeled 'self-defense'. The officers had taken us to the emergency room first to get Soul seen to - more stitches for him - and then took us to the station. And since we didn't have a car there, we called Crona. Which may have been a mistake, because quiet, shy little Crona was verifiably PISSED.

"AND WHAT WAS ALL THAT ABOUT BEING ATTACKED?!" Crona screeched.

"Oh, that?" Kid blew it off like it was nothing.

"I could have helped, or something…" Crona said as he parked his car and got out. We all began to follow him into an unfamiliar building.

"Where are we?" Soul grunted, wincing as he used his injured leg.

"No!" I barked suddenly as I raced over to Soul's side and stopped him with a hand on his chest.

"What?" He asked, shifting his eyes around.

"You know exactly what," I said. "Tsubaki, would you mind grabbing Soul's crutches? They're in the back of the car."

"Sure!" Tsubaki called cheerfully at the same time as Soul growled, "No."

"Yes," I challenged.

"Maka, I'm not using those things! They're so-"

"Let me guess, uncool? Too bad."

"Maka, they're big, uncool, and annoying. No way am I using them. You'd have to take me to hell first."

"Crona, where are we?" I asked, not taking my eyes off Soul.

"Um..." Crona said before smiling tentatively. "Hell?"

"Great! Soul, use the damn crutches."

"No," he growled, clenching his jaw.

"How are you going to get around then? I am _not_ carrying you!"

"Black*Star will help me," Soul replied confidently.

"No I won't," Black*Star smirked.

Soul glared at him. "Traitor," he muttered.

Tsubaki handed him the crutches, smiling innocently at his hurt expression.

"You're all traitors," Soul hissed as he hobbled up the stairs behind Crona.

xXoXx

"Crona…" Kid said softly.

"Yes?" Crona asked nervously as he let us into his apartment.

"It's so… normal." Kid sounded surprised.

Crona's apartment was painted a light blue and had a few odd paintings on the wall, including a giant one of two black wings above his couch. He had a small kitchenette, a living room, and a bedroom to which a bathroom was connected. Nothing seemed off about it, which I guess was normal but it just seemed like Crona would live somewhere less… open.

The only odd thing was a stuffed dragon on his bed, a little black creature snuggled into his pillows. It was kind of sweet, really.

"Holy shit! Crona, is this yours?" Black*Star screeched from the living room.

Okay, scratch that, two odd things. Hanging above Crona's television was a giant black sword. Not the decorative type, either - I could see from the doorway that thing was _sharp_.

"Uh, yes. And if somebody doesn't tell me what's going on, I'll… I'll use it on you!" Crona threatened, looking more frightened than Liz during a horror movie.

"Relax, we'll tell you," Soul promised as he sat down on the couch with a huff.

"So, I had an abusive boyfriend-" I began as we all took seats.

"Yeah, he was a real asshole! He knifed her!" Liz interjected.

Crona paled and looked at me questioningly. I raised my shirt a bit and showed him the crosshatch of my stomach. He swallowed hard.

"This bastard was real psychotic, you see, and he found where Maka lived after radio silence for, like, six years or something," Soul continued.

"He sent them a bunch of letters threatening her and stuff." Suddenly Kid was talking too.

"ANYWAY," I said loudly over my friends. "I ran away because I didn't want him to attack my friends. That's when I found you."

"And you found us," Tsubaki smiled thankfully at Crona.

"And we brought her back." Soul again.

"But that ass maggot said he'd go after Soul-"

"So they decided to wait for him like idiots-"

"Thanks," Soul commented dryly as Liz and Patty injected themselves into the conversation.

"We decided to wait for Asura - that's the 'ass maggot', by the way - in the apartment hallway," Tsubaki said.

"But we fell asleep," Kid chuckled sheepishly.

"So he went into their apartment-" Tsubaki continued.

"And I stabbed him. The end! Thank you all _very much_ for telling my story and confusing the hell out of Crona!" I snapped.

"You forgot the part where he stabbed me," Soul said.

We all turned to gape at him.

"He _WHAT?!I_" Tsubaki and I screeched at the same time.

"Shit," Soul muttered. "Never mind!"

"DON'T YOU DARE 'NEVER MIND' ME!" I yelled.

"Wait, what?" Crona gasped. "Asura did that?!"

We group-glared at Soul.

"Hehe," he muttered. "Yeah, recognized that dipshit's scarf."

"And _why_ didn't you tell the police this?" Kid asked pointedly.

"I did!" He exclaimed indignantly.

"Oh. And why didn't you mention this sooner? Perhaps, before he was dead?" I accused.

"_Before_ he was dead? Why on earth would that matter?" Soul was beginning to rub at his bandaged leg. I reached over and took his hand, clasping it between my own as I looked him straight in the eyes.

"Because maybe then I would have stabbed him a few more times."

"Yeah, and maybe she would have hollered something along the lines of 'oh shit' or 'he did what now' and we would have heard her screeching and come to stab him too!" Patty chirped.

"My, what disturbing children you are," Kid smirked.

"I AM NOT A CHILD!" Black*Star shouted as he leaped to his feet and balanced on the back of the couch.. "I AM A-"

"Yes, yes, we all know you're a god," Liz dismissed him snarkily.

"YES, YOU PEASANT! KNOW YOUR PLACE!" Black*Star yelled, laughing maniacally. Tsubaki gently pushed him off the back of the couch and he fell to the floor with a crash.

"Oops," she giggled.

Everybody began to talk at once, engaging in their own little conversations. Soul was complaining about how 'uncool' his crutches were, Black*Star was ranting about surpassing god or something equally brainless, and Tsubaki was trying to calm him down and settled for pretending she didn't know him. Liz had produced a bottle of nail polish from death knows where and was talking to Kid and Soul while Patty and Crona talked about dragons and giraffes.

Asura was dead, Black*Star was breaking shit, Kid was beginning to twitch as he noticed some asymmetrical bookshelves, Soul was deciding he was now a doctor and could remove his own bandages, Tsubaki was quietly laughing at us all, Patty was in the process of getting Crona's sword down from the wall, Crona was in the process of stopping her, and I was holding Soul's hand.

All was right with the world.

xXoXx

-One Year Later-

The sun was rising above the city, setting the clouds on fire as it woke up the day. Birds were chirping outside and I woke up to the smell of pancakes. I was the only one in the bed. Soul had almost suggested that we return to our pre-Asura sleeping arrangements after my father found out we shared a bed, but I put a stop to that.

I rolled out of bed and stretched, enjoying the warmth of the sun before stumbling sleepily into the kitchen. Soul was cooking, of course. Crona was there too; he asked Soul and I to teach him how to cook for Patty.

They were hunched together, their shoulder blocking whatever object they were examining. Their voices were no more than whispers.

"Good morning," I said loudly, enjoying it a little bit when they both jumped about a foot in the air. Soul hurriedly shoves the mystery object into the pocket of his apron.

"Maka! I didn't know you were up!" Soul said quickly, nervously wringing his hands.

"Hi Maka! Soul was teaching me how to make pancakes," Crona smiled easily. The past year had brought astounding changes within the nervous boy. He was far more comfortable around people (still didn't like crowds though) and smiled a _lot_ more often. I voiced a hello before giving Soul a quick kiss and retrieving the syrup from the fridge.

"Do you want orange juice, Crona?" I asked while staring at the refridgerator.

"A-ah, um, actually, I have t-to go!" Crona squeaked. I turned to stare at him. He hadn't reverted to before-friends speech in quite a long time.

"Are you alright, Crona?" I asked suspiciously.

"Fine! I'm fine!" He replied a little too quickly. "I really do have to go though, so…"

"I'll let you out!" Soul volunteered. I gave both of them a very suspicious look when Soul suddenly thrust the spatula into my hands.

"The pancakes will be done in a second," he threw over his shoulder as he walked to the door. I turned to the griddle and flipped the pancakes, turning around just in time to catch Crona clap Soul on the back and whisper a few words in his ear.

Weird.

I slid the pancakes onto a plate and set it on the table, calling Soul over. He took off his apron and slid the mystery object into his pants pocket.

Damn! What was that thing? It was really starting to bother me!

We ate in awkward silence with me scrutinizing his every move. Eventually Soul cleared his plate and sat back with a loud sigh.

"Guess I can't put it off any longer," he muttered.

"What?" I asked, a bit irritated.

"Do you know what today is?"

"Yeah, Saturday. Why?"

He shook his head. "For someone so smart, you're remarkably dense. Do you remember what happened a year ago?"

"Um…" I thought for a moment. "Oh! Ass maggot!"

"Yeah. A year ago, we killed Asura…" His eyes took on a faraway look as he remembered.

"I did most of the killing," I pointed out.

"Are you sure? I seem to remember me sweeping in dramatically and saving the damsel in distress."

I rolled my eyes. "I seem to remember hauling your bleeding ass to a police cruiser."

"That too. Hey Maka?"

"Yeah?" I wasn't really paying attention as I began to stack our plates.

"Do you ever want to get married?"

Silence.

"Are you talking about marrying you or just getting married in general?"

"Ah! Dammit!" He swore loudly. "Screw this." He stood up, walked over to me, and stared straight into my eyes. "Maka, you know I love you, right?"

"Soul…"

"You know that I'll accept you no matter what? That I'll never leave your side?"

"Soul?"

"And that I'm really bad at this mushy stuff?"

"Wait, what?" I said, really confused right about now. "I love you too, of course, and there's no way I'm ever leaving _your_ side, but where is this going?"

He smiled at me with those gorgeous crimson eyes.

"Well, I'm going down on one knee," he said, kneeling on the carpet and pulling the damn mystery object out of his pocket. I let out a tiny gasp.

It was a ring.

"And hopefully, you're going to say yes."

-The End-

Just kidding. I said yes.

-The End, and they all lived HAPPILY EVER FREAKIN AFTER-

[Until they had to decide who was going to tell Maka's father]

**The last author's note.**

**Thank you all very much for reading my first fanfic. All of the reviews and support meant the world to me and totally made my day/week/month/life! Um... I'm also open to suggestions of what I should do next...**

**For the very last time,**

**Please read and review!**

**I want to cry ;_; but instead I will smile because there's always more writing to do!**

**Bye for now!**


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